Michael Gove hopes a “case can be brought as quickly as possible” in the criminal investigation into the PPE firm linked to Scottish peer Michelle Mone.
The levelling-up secretary said he had cooperated fully with the National Crime Agency’s (NCA) probe into PPE Medpro.
The Tory MP said he wants to help ensure it reaches its conclusion quickly so “justice can be served”.
It comes after Mone insisted the UK Government knew about her involvement with the firm and named Gove as the minister she recommended PPE Medpro to.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Gove said: “With respect to Baroness Mone, there is a National Crime Agency inquiry going on.
“I’ve cooperated with that inquiry because I want to ensure it reaches its conclusion quickly and that justice can be served.
“If there are further questions to ask about PPE procurement, and I believe the Government has a strong record, then I am more than happy to do so with the Covid inquiry.”
He added: “Baroness Mone is subject to an NCA inquiry. I hope that inquiry results in a case being brought as quickly as possible.”
Asked whether Mone should remain a Tory member of the House of Lords, he said it was his understanding that the businesswoman was no longer a part of the Conservative Party.
It comes after Mone admitted to not telling the truth about her involvement in PPE Medpro.
She insisted that lying to the media was “not a crime”.
The NCA is investigating PPE Medpro, while the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has issued breach of contract proceedings over a 2020 deal on the supply of gowns.
Mone admitted she stands to benefit from a deal between the Government and the firm, which was awarded contracts worth more than £200m to supply personal protective equipment after she recommended it to ministers.
She claimed that she and her husband Doug Barrowman have been made “scapegoats” by the UK Government for its failings in procuring PPE during the pandemic.
Labour has called for her to be ousted from the House of Lords while Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said he takes the probe “very seriously”.
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