The Spectator plays down Gove's role in Mone scandal

The Spectator was quick to weigh in on Baroness Mone’s whopping High Court loss, noting how the case had “drawn attention back to the various scandals that arose during the pandemic – and which arguably catalysed the erosion of public trust in mainstream political parties”.

A High Court judge ruled on October 1 that Mone’s company, PPE Medpro, breached a government contract of nearly £122m to supply surgical gowns during the Covid pandemic. The firm now has 14 days to repay the cash.

“This isn’t the first time Mone – who was elevated to the House of Lords by David Cameron in 2015 – has come under scrutiny for her involvement in the PPE contract scandal,” mused political correspondent Lucy Dunn.

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“In 2022, Rishi Sunak removed the Tory whip from the peer, saying he was ‘shocked’ about allegations she had benefited financially after recommending the firm. Almost a year later, Mone revealed to the BBC that she had, in fact, lied over her links to PPE Medpro.

“As support for Reform UK continues to surge across the country, this story is yet another reminder of a fractious time when senior political figures were perceived to be acting above the law.”

Alas, space constraints prevented Dunn from noting exactly which senior political figure Mone first approached with an offer to supply gowns and face masks – Michael Gove, then chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, overseeing pandemic procurement, and now editor of the, er, Spectator. Mone claims that Gove responded to her offer to sell PPE to the government by saying “oh my goodness, this is amazing”. It certainly was!