Removing the whip from Baroness Michelle Mone, and the fact she is no longer a Conservative party member, should let neither her nor the Tories off the hook for the scandal surrounding PPE contracts, the SNP has said.
The Conservative Party confirmed on Monday that Michelle Mone is no longer a member, after having also lost the Conservative whip last year in the House of Lords.
Ms Mone was made a Conservative peer in 2015 by then Prime Minister, and now Foreign Secretary and Lords colleague, David Cameron.
Mhairi Black MP, the SNP’s Depute Westminster Leader, warned the Tories would cynically hide behind her removal of the whip and lack of membership as a way to dodge responsibility for the saga, but said that where wrongdoing has occurred there must be consequences.
Commenting, Mhairi Black MP said:
“Neither Baroness Mone or the Tories should be let off the hook simply because she’s no longer a Conservative party member – this scandal runs deep and where any wrongdoing has occurred there must be consequences.
“The Tories will try to cynically hide behind her removal from the party, but they shouldn’t be allowed to dodge responsibility for the part they’ve played in this.
“Mone was a Conservative member, Conservative peer, and benefited in millions of pounds from this unscrupulous Conservative government – that cannot be forgotten or ignored.
“The UK government must make public all documentation relating to the botched procurement of PPE during the pandemic, and acknowledge that their dodgy deals failed to deliver the necessary equipment at a huge cost to the taxpayer as well as the safety of public sector workers.
“The more this story develops, the murkier it gets for Mone, and for the Tories whose handling of the pandemic and public money has rightly outraged voters across the country.
“We need answers, and we need this Tory government to take full responsibility.”
