Labour is calling on the government to publish details of its £200m contracts with PPE Medpro after an inquiry was reportedly launched by the National Crime Agency (NCA) into the company.
PPE Medpro has come under intense scrutiny after it was awarded over £200m of public contracts to provide surgical masks and gowns after being referred to the government’s “PPE VIP lane” without public tender by Conservative peer Baroness Michelle Mone, just weeks after the company was established.
According to The Guardian, on Friday the NCA searched Mone’s home and an Isle of Man office where PPE Medpro is registered as part of a potential fraud investigation. No arrests were made but officers seized documents and electronic devices from the properties.
A NCA spokesperson said: “The NCA does not routinely confirm or deny the existence of investigations or the names of those who may or may not be under investigation.”
Separately the House of Lords has already launched an inquiry to investigate whether Mone, who is said to have links with PPE Medpro, abused her position in the process.
Angela Rayner, deputy leader of the Labour party, said: “The Conservative government’s failure to come clean about the millions of pounds of taxpayer’s money awarded to Tory-linked Medpro reeks of a cover up.”
Referring to talks taking place between the government and Medpro, she said: “The fact that Medpro is in mediation for providing useless PPE is no excuse for failing to be transparent with the public – in fact it only strengthens the need for clarity about how this eye-watering waste was allowed to happen.
“The government has shown complete disregard for working people by wasting taxpayers’ money on dodgy contracts. As the Tories hit working families with an unfair tax hike and household bills soar, the Conservatives must answer questions about how they gave billions of pounds out to their friends and donors.”
Mone previously told Supply Management: “I completely refute these allegations. I was asked to help at a time of national emergency. I declared all necessary interests and have done nothing wrong.”
SM has approached the Department for Health and Social Care for comment.
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