Mone’s husband gave £170,000 to Conservatives
MICHELLE Mone’s husband donated more than £170,000 to the Conservative Party in the years before a firm linked to the couple landed a £203million government PPE contract.
The lingerie tycoon, nicknamed Baroness Bra, and her financier husband Doug Barrowman, have been accused of banking tens of millions of pounds after she aggressively lobbied ministers during the pandemic.
Between 2017 and 2019 a company called Lancaster Knox, which advises rich people on how to legally lower their tax bill, made five donations to the Tories.
Electoral Commission records, first uncovered by The Sunday Times, show the firm, part of Mr Barrowman’s Knox Group empire, made three cash donations of £ 50,000 each, and donated £17,200 worth of prizes for an auction.
More than £ 71,000 was received between March and June 2019, within a year of the start of the pandemic, and months after a personal donation from Mr Barrowman was rejected because he was not a UK resident.
Yesterday, Labour Party chairman Anneliese Dodds said: ‘Any sniff of suspicion that public money was awarded in return for a donation to the Conservative Party must be thoroughly investigated.’
The Guardian claimed leaked documents showed the Baronto ess and her children received £29million after she lobbied ministers for PPE Medpro, helping it win £203million in contracts.
The couple deny wrongdoing, and Baroness Mone has taken leave from the House of Lords clear her name. But both The National Crime Agency and the House of Lords are investigating.
Lancaster Knox shares key officials with other firms in the couple’s empire, including director Timothy Eve, deputy chairman of the Knox Group of companies, who is also a director of Michelle Mone Interiors.
And Arthur Lancaster, also a business associate of Prince Andrew, is listed as a director of Knox International Ltd and Knox House Trustees (UK) Ltd, which are controlled by Mr Barrowman. Lancaster Knox and the Conservative Party were contacted for comment.
‘Must be thoroughly investigated’