Baroness bra quits the Lords (for now)

Farewell and thanks for the mammaries, Michelle Mone. The lingerie tycoon has today announced that she will be seeking a leave of absence from the House of Lords with immediate effect. It means she will not attend sittings of the House, vote on any proceedings nor be able to claim any allowance. At 51, she ought to have years of such joys ahead of her – but fate, and the Guardian newspaper, intervened. According to a spokesman:

With immediate effect, Baroness Mone will be taking a leave of absence from the House of Lords in order to clear her name of the allegations that have been unjustly levelled against her.

The allegations, first reported by the Graun, are that she and her children secretly received £29 million originating from the profits of PPE Medpro: a company that was awarded large government contracts during the pandemic after Mone recommended it to ministers. For her part, Mone has consistently denied any ‘role or function’ in the company, with lawyers previously saying she is ‘not connected to PPE Medpro in any capacity’.