PPE Medpro Ordered to Repay £122 Million to UK Government Following High Court Ruling

High Court Finds PPE Medpro in Breach of Contract

The High Court in London has ordered PPE Medpro, a company connected to Tory peer Baroness Michelle Mone, to repay approximately £122 million to the UK government. The ruling, delivered by Mrs Justice Cockerill on Wednesday, October 1, 2025, found that the firm breached a contract to supply 25 million surgical gowns during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) had sued PPE Medpro, alleging the gowns were 'faulty' and 'not sterile', rendering them unusable for the NHS.

The court determined that the gowns 'were not, contractually speaking, sterile, or properly validated as being sterile', meaning they could not be used in the NHS. The judgment mandates that PPE Medpro must pay £121,999,219.20 in damages to the DHSC by 4:00 PM on October 15, 2025.

Contract Details and Alleged Breach

The contract, valued at nearly £122 million, was awarded to PPE Medpro in 2020. The company, a consortium led by Doug Barrowman, Baroness Mone's husband, secured the deal through the government's 'VIP lane' after Baroness Mone recommended it to ministers. Evidence presented during the trial indicated that 103 out of 140 gowns tested failed sterility requirements, and the products lacked the necessary CE marking.

The DHSC formally rejected the gowns in December 2020, but the money was not repaid, and the items have remained in storage. While the DHSC also sought to recover an additional £8 million in storage costs, Mrs Justice Cockerill rejected this claim, citing insufficient evidence to substantiate the loss.

Reactions and Financial Implications

The ruling has elicited strong reactions from all parties involved:

• PPE Medpro and Doug Barrowman described the judgment as a 'travesty of justice' and a 'whitewash', maintaining that the company had 'convincingly demonstrated that its gowns were sterile'.
• Baroness Michelle Mone stated the ruling was an 'establishment win' and claimed she and her husband had been 'scapegoated and vilified' in an orchestrated campaign.
• Chancellor Rachel Reeves welcomed the court's decision, asserting that the money 'belongs in our public services'.
• The campaign group COVID-19 Bereaved Families for Justice UK also welcomed the ruling and called for Baroness Mone to be stripped of her peerage.

Adding a layer of complexity to the repayment, PPE Medpro filed a 'notice of appointment to appoint an administrator' the day before the ruling, raising questions about the immediate recovery of the funds. The National Crime Agency is also reportedly investigating PPE Medpro's COVID deals.