Barrowman: We’re Being Used as a Distraction

Island resident Doug Barrowman has said he understands why people are angry over PPE contracts during the pandemic, but that anger is being misplaced.

Mr Barrowman, who is married to the lingerie tycoon Baroness Michelle More, has issued a statement this morning following two recent high profile interviews.

In his statement, the Knox Group founder, said: ‘Michelle and I are being hung out to dry to distract attention from government incompetence in how it handled PPE procurement at time of national emergency.’

He also repeated a claim that the UK gov has offered to make the legal case against PPE Medro go away and would ‘call the dogs off’ if he paid enough money.

He added: ‘Despite the publicity following the recent Laura Kuenssberg BBC interview, neither the Cabinet Office, the DHSC nor the NCA has sought to deny this.’

And said: ‘Michelle was neither a shareholder, a director nor a decision maker in the Medpro consortium that I led. Nor was she entitled to any remuneration. All PPE money earned by me was fully disclosed on my tax return and, like all my sources of income, was put into trust for the benefit of my family.

‘We have explained the position on the BBC. Sorry to disappoint everyone, but Michelle and her kids were not entitled to any of that money. How I choose to organise my personal financial affairs is not a matter of public debate: however I will say this: as my wife, the ways in which I support Michelle financially or otherwise is entirely my decision.’

The Scottish businessman also noted that ‘out of 176 disputed contracts to a value of £2.7 billion, no one else, other than Medpro is being litigated against’ and pointed out that up to £400m is believed to have been taken by fraudsters who never delivered any PPE.