MICHELLE Mone is to begin her "fightback" in an appearance with her husband on the BBC's flagship politics show, Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, this weekend.
It comes after the Tory peer admitted she made an “error” in publicly denying her links to the PPE Medpro firm being investigated by the National Crime Agency.
She told a YouTube documentary that she and her husband Doug Barrowman would be cleared, arguing they have “done nothing wrong”.
Mone was exposed in a number of newspaper reports to have links with PPE Medpro, currently being sued by the UK Government for providing it with unusable safety kit for medics during the pandemic.
READ MORE: Labour and Tories joke as food banks see demand soar
The firm was awarded contracts worth £203m to supply PPE but is now facing accusations from the UK Government of a breach of contract because around £122m worth of gowns were faulty.
PPE Medpro has denied all the allegations.
In a new post on Twitter/X on Friday evening, Mone wrote: "I will appear on ‘Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg' this weekend with my husband for our first exclusive interview since beginning our fightback against DHSC."
Her appearance comes after an expert told The National that her recent documentary – funded by a company linked with Mone – shows the Tory peer and businesswoman played “high-risk games” by having lawyers issue legal threats to the press.
The documentary, funded by PPE Medpro, exposed “dishonest statements” by Mone who previously denied her links with the firm, according to Dr Nick McKerrell, a senior law lecturer at Glasgow Caledonian University.
Speaking in the film, the Glasgow-born businesswoman said: “I made an error in what I said to the press.
“I regret not saying to the press straight away, ‘Yes, I am involved.’ And the Government knew I was involved.”
McKerrell told The National the admission may harm her case “in the court of public opinion” but would not affect the ongoing court case against PPE Medpro.
“To tell a lie, if you do it outwith court, even in a lawyer’s letter, isn’t an offence,” he said.
“As a journalist you’ll get emails like that saying: ‘This is defamatory’. It doesn’t mean anything, in a sense.
“It’s a high-risk game because they’re saying: ‘I’m going to take legal action against you’. And the newspaper, website, whatever, has to take the judgment call – are they serious, are they going to do this?”
He added: “It’s exposed dishonest statements that she’s made."
Mone used her appearance in the documentary to insist the Government was made aware of her links with the firm – despite lawyers acting on her behalf sending legal threats to journalists who exposed her involvement with the company.
Bank documents leaked in November last year showed her husband Barrowman was paid at least £65m out of PPE Medpro’s profits, with £29m going to an offshore trust from which Mone and her three adult children benefit.
The Guardian previously described her lawyers as issuing “aggressive legal threats” to journalists.
The Byline Times website reported PPE Medpro’s lawyers had also issued threats to them and to the Financial Times.
Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg airs on BBC One and BBC iPlayer starting from 9am.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel