Baroness Michelle Mone and her husband, Doug Barrowman, are among individuals being sued in an effort to recover some of the millions owed to the government by his collapsed company, PPE Medpro. The joint liquidators from Interpath Advisory have initiated legal action against six individuals and five companies associated with the firm, which has been placed into liquidation.
The government was awarded 122 million pounds plus interest from PPE Medpro last year after a court ruled the company had breached a contract to supply sterile surgical gowns during the COVID-19 pandemic. The company's failure to supply gowns that met required healthcare standards led to the government's lawsuit.
PPE Medpro was established in 2020 amid the pandemic as the government sought to secure protective equipment for healthcare workers. The firm secured its first government contract for masks through a 'VIP lane' following a recommendation from Baroness Mone, who was then a Conservative peer in the House of Lords. By late 2022, the government sued the company, alleging the supplied gowns were substandard. The High Court subsequently ruled in favor of the government, stating PPE Medpro could not prove its surgical gowns had undergone a validated sterilization process.
While the government won its case, recovering the funds proved challenging. PPE Medpro had less than one million pounds on its balance sheet and was put into liquidation in December 2025. At the time, the Health Secretary Wes Streeting accused the company of endangering NHS staff and patients with substandard equipment while profiting during a national crisis. He vowed to pursue the company rigorously for recovery.
Barrowman and Mone were not directors of PPE Medpro, and for a significant period, they denied any connection to the firm. However, in 2023, Barrowman confirmed in a BBC interview that he was the ultimate beneficial owner of the company. Mone also admitted in the same interview to being a beneficiary of a trust that received some of PPE Medpro's profits.
The individuals named in the lawsuit include four former directors of PPE Medpro. One of these is Arthur Lancaster, an accountant and business associate of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. News of the legal action was initially reported by tax expert Dan Neidle.
It was also revealed last year that HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) had filed a claim of 39 million pounds against PPE Medpro for alleged unpaid taxes.
The Department for Health and Social Care stated that the recovery of funds is the responsibility of the appointed liquidators and that ministerial intervention would be inappropriate. However, the government has emphasized its expectation of robust action being taken. Interpath Advisory declined to comment on the proceedings.
Separately, the National Crime Agency is conducting a criminal investigation into PPE Medpro.