Businessman and baroness implicated in £122M PPE controversy

PPE Medpro Ltd, the pandemic-era supplier at the centre of a £203 million PPE procurement controversy, has entered administration after the High Court ordered it to repay £122 million to the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) for supplying unusable sterile gowns. In her 87-page ruling on 1 October 2025, Mrs Justice Cockerill found the company had breached its 2020 contract by delivering gowns that failed regulatory certification and sterility requirements.

The court detailed how Isle of Man financier Doug Barrowman controlled PPE Medpro through his Knox Group and ultimately received more than £60 million from the firm’s profits, with part of the proceeds routed to an offshore trust set up for his wife, Baroness Michelle Mone, and their family. The judgment confirmed that PPE Medpro had no prior trading history or infrastructure before securing two government PPE contracts worth £203 million via the “VIP lane” in the early months of the pandemic.

One day before the ruling, the company was placed into administration by its secured creditor, Angelo (PTC) Ltd, an Isle of Man entity also linked to Barrowman. Natasha Brodie, Michael Pallott, and Adam Harris of Forvis Mazars were appointed joint administrators alongside John Bell and Toyah Poole of Clarke Bell, who have since stepped down.

In proposals filed 30 October, Forvis Mazars disclosed total debts of about £188 million, including £148 million owed to the DHSC (with interest) and £39 million owed to HMRC. The administrators said bank records show that “a small number of entities” received most of the company’s funds and confirmed that forensic reviews and potential recovery actions are underway.