'Mone should not be in Lords after PPE breach'

RACHEL Reeves has said Michelle Mone should not be in the House of Lords after a company linked to the Tory peer was ordered to repay almost £122m to the UK Government for breaching a contract to supply surgical gowns during the Covid-19 pandemic.

- SOPHIE WINGATE, DAVID HUGHES, CALLUM PARKE and DANNY HALPIN

The Chancellor said she hopes Baroness Mone, who is on a leave of absence from the Lords, “won't be back” in the upper chamber after she “ripped off taxpayers”.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) sued PPE Medpro at the High Court over allegations it breached a deal for the 25 million gowns because the items were “faulty” by not being sterile.

Lady Mone criticised the High Court judgment, calling it a win for the “establishment”, while her husband, Doug Barrowman, said it was a “travesty of justice”.

The peer has claimed she is the target of a “vendetta” by the government.

Ms Reeves told BBC 5 Live: “She clearly shouldn't be in the House of Lords.”

When it was suggested to her that the peer took a leave of absence to clear her name, the Chancellor replied: “I hope she won't be back in the House of Lords.”

Ms Reeves said “I’m not sure if that’s within my powers” in response to calls for Lady Mone to be stripped of her title, adding: “Clearly she shouldn't be making laws, should she?”

Peerages can only be removed by an act of Parliament.

While a life peerage cannot be relinquished, Lady Mone could choose to resign from being a member of the House of Lords.