- The Guardian Saturday 30 April 2022
News
David Conn
Paul Lewis
Vikram DoddThe National Crime Agency has
launched a potential fraud investi-
gation into a PPE company linked
to Michelle Mone, and searched the
Tory peer’s shared home.
The NCA investigation is into PPE
Medpro, a company that secured
more than £200m in government con-
tracts near the start of the pandemic
without public tender.
On Wednesday, the NCA searched
several properties associated with
the company in the Isle of Man and
London. They included the Isle of
Man offi ce building where PPE Med-
pro is registered and the mansion
where Lady Mone lives with her hus-
band, the business magnate Douglas
Barrowman. The Isle of Man constab-
ulary confi rmed search warrants
were executed at four addresses “in
support of an ongoing NCA investiga-
tion”. There were no arrests.
More than a dozen law enforce-
ment offi cers are understood to have
turned up unexpectedly at the Knox
House building in Douglas, where the
Isle of Man PPE Medpro company is
registered. One witness described the
building being guard ed by offi cers
both at its front and rear. The offi cers
are understood to have seized docu-
ments, computers, phones and other
electronic devices.
Also searched was a Wardour
Street address in central London, theSarah ButlerBig retailers have been accused of
putting fi nancial pressure on staff to
come into work with Covid-19 after
they cut the right to extra sick leave
for workers aff ected by the virus.
Sainsbury’s and Tesco are cutting
the right to additional sick pay for
those with Covid-19 from this week-
end while Next said it changed its
policy a few weeks ago – reverting to
their standard sick pay policies.
Previously the businesses off eredNext said that it was following
government guidance in leaving the
decision on whether to come into
work after testing positive with Covid
up to individuals, but said it was not
aware of any member of staff want-
ing to do so.
A Sainsbury’s spokesperson said:
“We have reviewed our policies in
line with the latest government guid-
ance for England, Scotland and the
Republic of Ireland. As part of this, we
are approaching colleague sick leave
relating to Covid-19 just as we would
with another illness like fl u.
“We’re continuing to ask col-
leagues who test positive or develop
Covid-19 symptoms to stay at home
and be considerate of others and any
colleagues who need to stay at home
and are unable to carry out their roles
can continue to receive pay.”offi ce of the UK-registered PPE Med-
pro company that was awarded two
government contracts worth £203m.
A member of staff at that building told
the Guardian: “It’s a ‘no comment’
all round.” Lawyers for PPE Medpro
declined to comment.
There is no evidence that the NCA’s
investigation is connected to matters
previously the subject of public con-
troversy. However, the investigation
is likely to make questions resurface
about the wider £12bn in PPE con-
tracts the government awarded under
emergency rules that bypassed nor-
mal competitive tender processes.
It will also put renewed focus on
both PPE Medpro and the process
through which the company secured
its government contracts. It has been
the focus of multiple controversies in
recent months that have embroiled
Mone and other senior Tories includ-
ing Michael Gove, Theodore Agnew
and James Bethell.The company was one of 51 busi-
nesses that were processed through
a “VIP lane” to fast-track companies
that had been recommended by polit-
ically connected individuals.
The Guardian has reported that
Mone approached Gove, Lord
Agnew and Lord Bethell on behalf
of PPE Medpro. All were at the time
ministers involved in pandemic pro-
curement. Mone appears to have
been instrumental in PPE Medpro
being entered into the “high prior-
ity” VIP lane by Agnew in May 2020.
In January the Guardian reported
that leaked fi les appeared to suggest
Mone and Barrowman were secretly
involved in the PPE Medpro business.
At the time, Mone’s lawyers said the
Guardian’s fi ndings were “grounded
entirely on supposition and specu-
lation and not based on accuracy”.
The Lords standards commis-
sioner, Martin Jelley , then launched
an investigation, which is ongoing,Home and
PPE fi rm
linked to
Lady Mone
searched
in fraud
inquiry
Unions criticise Sainsbury’s and
Tesco over cut to Covid sick pay
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into whether Mone’s links to the
company breached rules relating
to members. She has denied any
wrongdoing.
Responding to previous stories,
Mone’s lawyers said any suggestion of
an association or collusion between
the Tory peer and PPE Medpro would
be “inaccurate” and that she was not
involved in the business. “Baroness
Mone is neither an investor, director
or shareholder in any way associated
with PPE Medpro. She has never had
any role or function in PPE Medpro,
nor in the process by which contracts
were awarded to PPE Medpro.”
Mone’s lawyers have said after
she undertook the “simple, soli-
tary and brief step” of referring PPE
Medpro to the government she did
nothing further in respect of the
company. Lawyers for Barrowman
have similarly distanced him from
the company, but they have not com-
mented on whether he fi nancially
benefi ted from the fi rm.
In a statement, the NCA said: “The
NCA does not routinely confi rm or
deny the existence of investigations
or the names of those who may or
may not be under investigation.”
PPE Medpro’s fi rst government
contract, worth £80.85m for the sup-
ply of face masks, was awarded in late
May 2020. The second, a £122m con-
tract to supply surgical gowns, was
awarded in June 2020 but has been
the subject of a contractual dispute.Additional reporting
Kevin Rawlinson Lady Mone
and her
husband,
Douglas
Barrowman.
Their island
mansion was
one of the
properties
searched
PHOTOGRAPH: MAX
MUMBY/INDIGO/GETTYstaff , who are worried about being off ,
to go into work, putting other work-
ers and customers at risk.”
Daniel Adams, the national offi cer
for the shop workers’ union Usdaw,
said it was “incredibly disappointed”
that Tesco had made the changes.
“Inevitably, with these changes
there is a risk that employees may
have to make a decision based on
aff ordability rather than their health
or wellbeing. The fact that the gov-
ernment has withdrawn even the
minimal support of statutory sick pay
from day one further exacerbates the
problem,” he said.
Sainsbury’s and Tesco said they
were asking or encouraging staff to
stay at home if they were sick. How-
ever, the unions said some workers
might feel compelled to work if they
could not be sure of claiming sick pay.additional sick leave to workers with
Covid as required, to cover those who
needed to isolate in line with govern-
ment rules.
The retailers said they were chang-
ing their rules in line with the new
“living with Covid” policy for Eng-
land which from 24 February means
those who test positive are no longer
legally required to self-isolate. In con-
trast, Asda said it off ers up to 10 days
extra sick pay for those with Covid.
Bev Clarkson , the national offi cer
for Unite, said: “By scrapping their
Covid absence policies, Sainsbury’s
and Tesco are encouraging infected Knox House
in Douglas, Isle
of Man , where
the island’s
PPE Medpro
company is
registered.
Offi cers seized
papers and
electronic
devices