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Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has stated that Baroness Michelle Mone should be stripped of her peerage.
PPE Medpro, a company linked to the entrepreneur, has been ordered by the High Court to repay £122 million to the UK government following a breach of a Covid-19 contract.
Speaking to BBC News, Badenoch indicated that the details emerging from the case against PPE Medpro were “enough” to warrant the removal of Mone’s title.
Mone was granted a peerage by David Cameron in 2015 but subsequently lost the Conservative whip after revelations concerning the contract to supply medical gowns.
The Conservative Party stated in December 2023 that Mone was no longer a member, a claim later disputed by the Baroness.
In response to the court ruling, Mone described it as “nothing less than an establishment win for the government in a case that was too big to lose.”
Ahead of her party’s annual conference in Manchester, Badenoch told BBC Scotland News: “I want to make sure is that people can see that the Conservative Party is a party of integrity.”
“That’s why we removed Michelle Mone from our party.”
“And it’s very, very important that people see that politicians, whether they’re in the Commons or in the Lords, are acting above board.”
Peerages can only be revoked through an act of Parliament. The SNP have called for the UK government to take that step.
Mone is currently on a leave of absence from the House of Lords, and Chancellor Rachel Reeves has expressed her desire for the entrepreneur not to return.
However, Reeves acknowledged that the power to strip Mone of her peerage lies beyond her authority.
During a fringe event at Labour’s party conference this week, Reeves reportedly joked that the government had a vendetta against the peer.
Mone has accused the Chancellor of using “dangerous and inflammatory” language.
PPE Medpro, established by a consortium led by Mone’s husband, Doug Barrowman, secured lucrative contracts to supply 25 million medical gowns to the NHS during the pandemic.
However, the equipment has remained in storage since 2020 after the company failed to provide sufficient evidence of proper sterilization.
A spokesperson for Mr. Barrowman described the High Court judgement as “a travesty of justice.”
Looking ahead to the Scottish Parliament election in May, Badenoch insisted it was “all to play for.”
While acknowledging the SNP’s lead in the polls, she asserted that Scots were “fed up” with the party, criticizing its performance on education and the economy.
The Tory leader also dismissed calls for a second independence referendum as a “distraction.”
The Scottish Conservatives have been the largest opposition party at Holyrood since 2016.
However, recent polls suggest the party is now in a battle to finish as the country’s fourth largest party.
Badenoch attributed this to voters supporting “protest parties” following the Conservative’s historic defeat at last year’s general election and the unpopularity of Sir Keir Starmer’s government.
“What I’m doing is making sure the Scottish people know that the Conservative and Unionist Party is fighting for them, especially in the one area where Scotland leads, and that is on our North Sea oil industry,” she said.
The Tory leader cautioned that the economy was underperforming, and declining living standards could lead to “civil unrest.”
She stated that Aberdeen was “dying,” with the oil and gas industry, local supply chain, and high street all in need of support.
“We cannot kill industry in Scotland,” she said. “We are backing it fully.”
The UK Labour government has committed to banning new exploration licenses, arguing that exploring new fields would not reduce household bills or improve energy security.
Scottish Energy Secretary Gillian Martin said last month that because the North Sea basin is “maturing,” the “responsible approach is to plan now for this eventuality, transitioning to new fuels and sustainable energy in a way that protects our energy security and Scotland’s highly skilled workforce in the North East.”
Murdo Maclennan was ousted weeks after complaining that civil servants rather than islanders had been invited to launch new ferries.
Several ScotRail services and ferry journeys have been cancelled ahead of the storm’s arrival.
Angela Constance has asked parliament to pass emergency legislation for the release of 470 inmates
A new bill aims to create a special criminal offence, but lawyers have raised concerns about the proposals.
The autumn storm is expected to bring winds gusting to more than 95mph in exposed areas.
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