A FORMER Scottish secretary has said David Cameron breached “proper process” when he appointed disgraced peer Michelle Mone to the House of Lords.
David Mundell said the former prime minister had appointed Mone without consulting the Scotland Office – which is considered usual when awarding peerages to Scots.
Mundell (below), who was the secretary for Scotland from 2015 to 2019, told The Guardian that Scottish businesses were “unhappy” with the appointment and he discussed this with Cameron after it was confirmed.
The Tory MP for Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale said: “The peerage was a fait accompli by the time we heard about it.
“I was unhappy that the proper process was not followed and that the Scotland Office was not asked to provide any background or input. And I wasn’t at all surprised to find that Scottish businesses were very, very unhappy about the appointment.
“I did communicate with Downing Street that Scottish business figures were unhappy because they did not consider Michelle Mone to be a substantial businesswoman.”
Mone, who was well known in Scotland through her lingerie business Ultimo and for having backed the Union in the 2014 referendum, was described as a “leading entrepreneur” by Cameron.
She is currently embroiled, alongside her husband, in controversy regarding their roles in PPE Medpro and the “VIP lane” for suppliers during the Covid-19 pandemic.
It is understood that Douglas Anderson, managing director a plant hire company based in Glasgow, wrote to Cameron when the peerage for Mone was reported and highlighted Mone’s company had published financial accounts showing its financial difficulties.
READ MORE: When Michelle Mone put The National 'on legal notice'
Anderson wrote: “Ms Mone is not a successful entrepreneur; she is a small-time businesswoman with a PR exposure far in excess of any actual success.
“Awarding her a peerage for a very mediocre business performance brings the awarding of titles into disrepute by rewarding failure.”
The former prime minister also asked Mone to lead a review on how the Government could best support people from deprived areas when setting up business.
A spokesperson for Mone said she was “proud of her achievements” and that she had worked hard after coming from “a working-class family in Glasgow’s east end”.
They added: “Michelle was honoured to be asked to join the House of Lords by David Cameron after her role in the Scottish referendum campaign. Her appointment was duly vetted by Holac [the House of Lords appointments commission] at the time.”
A Cabinet Office spokesperson also highlighted that the appointment had been vetted by Holac.
The Tory peer and her husband Doug Barrowman have insisted they have done nothing wrong and claimed they have been made “scapegoats” by the UK Government.
READ MORE: Michelle Mone's husband releases statement over PPE scandal
A statement published by Barrowman on New Year’s Day hit out at the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the UK Government and insisted there was no criminal case to answer.
The couple are being investigated by the National Crime Agency (NCA) over allegations of PPE fraud.
Recently, Scottish Greens MSP Ross Greer said Mone should have her honorary doctorate from Paisley University revoked following the row.
Mone and Barrowman made £60 million in profit through their links to the PPE firm during the pandemic.
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