"Like everyone else, I was absolutely shocked to read about the allegations," said Rishi Sunak. I bet he was.
Source: The Scotsman
Rishi Sunak has declared it was “absolutely right” that Tory peer Michelle Mone had taken a leave of absence from the House of Lords with immediate effect, as the Prime Minister claimed he was “shocked” at the allegations.
Reports – denied by Baroness Mone – have suggested the peer may have profited from PPE Medpro winning public contracts worth more than £200 million to supply equipment after she recommended it to ministers in the early days of the pandemic.
The peer, who founded lingerie firm Ultimo, claimed the accusations had been “unjustly” levelled against her.
Asked how Baroness Mone had “ended up” with an alleged £30m in her bank account, Mr Sunak responded: "Like everyone else, I was absolutely shocked to read about the allegations.
"It’s absolutely right that she is no longer attending the House of Lords and therefore no longer has the Conservative whip. The one thing we know about [Sir Keir], he is a lawyer. He should know there’s a process in place ... I hope that it’s resolved promptly.”
Sir Keir [Labour Party leader Keir Starmer] countered: “Everyone can see what’s happening here. A Tory politician got their hands on hundreds of millions in taxpayers’ money and then provided duff PPE and he says he’s shocked? He’s the chancellor, he signed the cheques. How much is he going to get back?”
