Once again, Michelle moans after the Covid inquiry denied her an official role. What did she expect?
It isn’t even a fortnight since the inquiry rejected a bid for Baroness Mone and her husband Doug Barrowman to become “core participants”. Now, a second application has been rejected.
They had applied for that status more than a year after the closing date – but a day after the inquiry’s decision to hear evidence in private about their involvement in the supply of unsuitable personal protective equipment (PPE) was greeted with outrage by the public.
I found this suspicious as this status would have allowed them to see documents and other evidence, make statements and ask questions of other witnesses – granting them access to information they would not otherwise have seen. This would have invalidated the inquiry’s reasons for hearing evidence about them in private, as it had been requested by the National Crime Agency in order to avoid prejudice to its investigation into their involvement.
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The fact that their application came the day after the announcement that evidence about them would be heard in private – and around 15 months after the November 2023 deadline for such applications – suggested to This Writer that they want access to the NCA’s evidence about them.
After the second rejection, the couple issued a joint statement that the decision to hear evidence in private was “a blatant betrayal of transparency and justice” and accused the NCA of waging “a ruthless campaign” against them.
The couple said: “While the inquiry refused to exclude PPE Medpro, it handed the NCA the power to dictate the proceedings behind a wall of secrecy, ensuring that only their version of events is heard – while we are denied the right to defend ourselves.”
In a post on X, Baroness Mone said she did not realise that the company would be “specifically profiled” by the inquiry until the end of February.
“Until then, it was understood that discussions were general, covering overall PPE procurement, not targeting any individual entity,” she stated.
Inquiry chair Baroness Hallett said allowing the application would have led to a “further diversion of resources” and would have caused “significant disruption” to the inquiry’s timetable.
She had previously said her main focus is on the approach of ministers and the government, rather than Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) suppliers.
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Michelle moans after the Covid inquiry denied her an official role AGAIN
Once again, Michelle moans after the Covid inquiry denied her an official role. What did she expect?
It isn’t even a fortnight since the inquiry rejected a bid for Baroness Mone and her husband Doug Barrowman to become “core participants”. Now, a second application has been rejected.
They had applied for that status more than a year after the closing date – but a day after the inquiry’s decision to hear evidence in private about their involvement in the supply of unsuitable personal protective equipment (PPE) was greeted with outrage by the public.
I found this suspicious as this status would have allowed them to see documents and other evidence, make statements and ask questions of other witnesses – granting them access to information they would not otherwise have seen. This would have invalidated the inquiry’s reasons for hearing evidence about them in private, as it had been requested by the National Crime Agency in order to avoid prejudice to its investigation into their involvement.
Buy Cruel Britannia in print here. Buy the Cruel Britannia ebook here. Or just click on the image!
The fact that their application came the day after the announcement that evidence about them would be heard in private – and around 15 months after the November 2023 deadline for such applications – suggested to This Writer that they want access to the NCA’s evidence about them.
After the second rejection, the couple issued a joint statement that the decision to hear evidence in private was “a blatant betrayal of transparency and justice” and accused the NCA of waging “a ruthless campaign” against them.
The couple said: “While the inquiry refused to exclude PPE Medpro, it handed the NCA the power to dictate the proceedings behind a wall of secrecy, ensuring that only their version of events is heard – while we are denied the right to defend ourselves.”
In a post on X, Baroness Mone said she did not realise that the company would be “specifically profiled” by the inquiry until the end of February.
“Until then, it was understood that discussions were general, covering overall PPE procurement, not targeting any individual entity,” she stated.
Inquiry chair Baroness Hallett said allowing the application would have led to a “further diversion of resources” and would have caused “significant disruption” to the inquiry’s timetable.
She had previously said her main focus is on the approach of ministers and the government, rather than Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) suppliers.
Vox Political needs your help!
If you want to support this site
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Be among the first to know what’s going on! Here are the ways to manage it:
1) Register with us by clicking on ‘Subscribe’ (bottom right of the home page). You can then receive notifications of every new article that is posted here.
2) Follow VP on Twitter @VoxPolitical
3) Like the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/VoxPolitical/
Join the Vox Political Facebook page.
4) You could even make Vox Political your homepage at http://voxpoliticalonline.com
5) Follow Vox Political writer Mike Sivier on BlueSky
6) Join the MeWe page at https://mewe.com/p-front/voxpolitical
7) Feel free to comment!
And do share with your family and friends – so they don’t miss out!
If you have appreciated this article, don’t forget to share it using the buttons at the bottom of this page. Politics is about everybody – so let’s try to get everybody involved!
Buy Vox Political books so we can continue
fighting for the facts.
Cruel Britannia is available
in either print or eBook format here:
The Livingstone Presumption is available
in either print or eBook format here:
Health Warning: Government! is now available
in either print or eBook format here:
The first collection, Strong Words and Hard Times,
is still available in either print or eBook format here:
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