Michelle Mone has 'no wish to return to Lords as Tory peer'

Baroness Michelle Mone has said she has “no wish to return to the Lords as a Conservative peer” in a letter to Tory leader Kemi Badenoch.

Badenoch was among the high-profile politicians to have called for Lady Mone to relinquish her peerage, having said that “integrity and having the right people who behave above board at all times is a priority”.

On Wednesday, PPE Medpro, a company linked to Lady Mone, was ordered to pay back nearly £122m to the Government after it was found to have breached a contract to supply surgical gowns during the Covid-19 pandemic.

In a letter to Mrs Badenoch on Friday, Lady Mone said there “seems to be a bit of amnesia” about her loss of the Conservative whip, stating that she had “removed it myself by taking a leave of absence”.

She continued: “However, you will be pleased to hear that once I do clear my name, I have no wish to return to the Lords as a Conservative peer; that’s assuming there still is a Conservative Party before the next general election.”

Peerages can only be removed by an Act of Parliament.

While a life peerage cannot be relinquished, Lady Mone could choose to resign from being a member of the House of Lords.