132-396: Michelle Georgina Mone, Baroness Mone , OBE ( née Allan ; born 8 October 1971) is a Scottish businesswoman and life peer . She has set up several businesses, including MJM International Ltd in 1996 and the lingerie company Ultimo along with her then husband Michael Mone. Other ventures include naturopathic 'weight-loss' pills, and a fake tan product via Ultimo Beauty. Mone became
264-616: A Conservative life peer in 2015. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Mone's husband's company PPE Medpro was awarded £200m of contracts to provide PPE by the UK government. The company made a profit of £60m and some of the products they provided were defective and went unused. From 2020 to 2023, Mone vehemently denied that she or her husband had any involvement with the contracts. In January 2022 The House of Lords Commissioner for Standards and National Crime Agency launched investigations into Mone's links to
396-522: A cryptocurrency called Equi through a company called Equi Capital. It aimed to raise $ US80 million which would be invested in startup companies. Mone described herself as "one of the biggest experts in Cryptocurrency and Blockchain" and promoted the project as the "bitcoin of Britain". The company recruited 1,000 people to promote the cryptocurrency through social media, but they only raised £1,600. According to Barrowman, £5.4 million of tokens were sold in
528-568: A "pre-sale offering" but the public sale beginning in March 2018 raised only £540,000. By August 2018, The Sunday Times reported that the project had "flopped" and all investors had been refunded. The Financial Times reported that it had "ended in a fiasco that exposes the total absence of oversight in the ICO market". Mone was profiled in 2002 in a BBC Two documentary, Trouble at the Top: Boom or Bust . She
660-527: A GBE (in recognition of his role as chairman of the Scottish War Savings Committee) and the award of medal of the order to Lizzie Robinson, a munitions worker. The order had been established primarily as a civilian award; in August 1918, however, not long after its foundation, a number of awards were made to serving naval and military personnel. Four months later, a 'Military Division' was added to
792-404: A broad riband or sash, passing from the right shoulder to the left hip. Knights Commander and male Commanders wear the badge from a ribbon around the neck; male Officers and Members wear the badge from a ribbon on the left chest; female recipients other than Dames Grand Cross (unless in military uniform) normally wear it from a bow on the left shoulder. An oval eight-pointed star is worn, pinned to
924-538: A burning building containing explosives. In December 1922 the statutes of the order were amended; there having been a large number of awards for war work prior to this date, these amended statutes placed the order on more of a peacetime footing. For the first time numbers of appointments were limited, with the stipulation that senior awards in the Civil Division were to outnumber those in the Military Division by
1056-449: A circlet bearing the motto of the Order; the reverse bears George V's Royal and Imperial Cypher. (Prior to 1937 Britannia was shown within the circlet.) The size of the badges varies according to rank: the higher classes have slightly larger badges. The badges of Knights and Dames Grand Cross, Knights and Dames Commander, and Commanders are enamelled, with pale blue crosses, crimson circlets and
1188-466: A citizen of a Commonwealth realm can convert their appointment from honorary to substantive, and they then enjoy all privileges of membership of the order, including use of the title of Sir and Dame for the senior two ranks of the Order. (An example of the latter is Irish broadcaster Terry Wogan , who was appointed an honorary Knight Commander of the Order in 2005, and on successful application for British citizenship, held alongside his Irish citizenship,
1320-443: A gold central medallion. Officers' badges are plain silver-gilt, while those of Members are plain silver. From 1917 until 1937, the badge of the order was suspended on a purple ribbon, with a red central stripe being added for the military division in 1918. Since 1937, the ribbon has been rose-pink with pearl-grey edges (with the addition of a pearl-grey central stripe for the military division). Knights and Dames Grand Cross wear it on
1452-487: A large personal power base in the party. Perhaps as a result, Tony Blair chose to keep him in the same position throughout his ten years as prime minister; making Brown an unusually dominant figure and the longest-serving chancellor since the Reform Act of 1832. This has strengthened a pre-existing trend towards the chancellor occupying a clear second position among government ministers, elevated above their traditional peers,
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#17330851098481584-510: A leak revealed that five months prior to £29 million of PPE Medpro's profits being transferred into a trust that Mone would benefit from, she assured the government that she wouldn't gain "any financial benefit whatsoever", and that there were "no conflicts whatsoever" with regard to the company she had recommended to the government. Born on 8 October 1971, Michelle Allan grew up in Glasgow's East End . She recounted how she had lived with her family in
1716-603: A loss in each of the last four years for which accounts were available. In November 2015, Mone was criticised for using her "Baroness Mone"-styled Twitter account to promote TrimSecrets pills, although a spokesman for Mone said she had disposed of her ownership of the firm before her tweet. A spokesman for the British Dietetic Association said "there is no scientific basis or rationale for these products, they are making claims which are unfounded and feeding into public confusion around nutrition and pseudo-science." On
1848-401: A one-bedroom house with no bath or shower until she was 10 years old. She also told of how her younger brother, who had spina bifida , died at the age of eight, when she was 10 years old, and that her father, who was suffering from cancer, lost the use of his legs when she was 15. She left school aged 15, with no qualifications, to pursue a modelling career. Mone obtained a marketing job with
1980-505: A partnership with MAS Holdings . MJM International was then dissolved. In November 2014, Mone sold 80% of her stake in Ultimo Brands International to MAS Holdings. In 2014, a former operations director for MJM won a claim for unfair dismissal from her company after discovering that Mone had authorised electronic bugging of his office. Mone threatened to sue her critics when it was revealed her company MJM International had paid
2112-559: A payment to the other party. Mone and Barrowman own the Ballakew estate in St. Mark's on the Isle of Man . The estate is set over 154 acres. The nine bedroomed house was described by Country Life as having "a list of leisure facilities which would make a 5-star hotel blush" with "tennis courts, helipad and grand architecture which will turn heads". The house also has an indoor pool and an amphitheatre. It
2244-532: A personal capacity and not in her capacity as a member of the House of Lords. In January 2022, the Metropolitan Police announced they were investigating the incident after receipt of an allegation of a racially aggravated malicious communication. In August 2022, Mone reached a settlement "on a no fault or damages basis in relation to the alleged racist claim", according to The Guardian ; the settlement also involved
2376-501: A political team of four junior ministers and by permanent civil servants . The most important junior minister is the chief secretary to the Treasury , a member of the Cabinet, to whom the negotiations with other government departments on the details of government spending are delegated, followed by the paymaster general , the financial secretary to the Treasury and the economic secretary to
2508-488: A proportion of six to one. Furthermore appointments in the civil division were to be divided equally between UK and overseas awards. With regard to the Medal of the Order (but not the order itself), a distinction was made in 1922 between awards 'for gallantry' and awards 'for meritorious service' (each being appropriately inscribed, and the former having laurel leaves decorating the clasp, the latter oak leaves). In 1933 holders of
2640-754: A series of offshore transactions involving Barrowman. Her lawyer had previously said she did not declare PPE Medpro in the House of Lords register of financial interests as "she did not benefit financially and was not connected to PPE Medpro in any capacity." The Financial Times reported that according to a leaked HSBC report, the bank had frozen bank accounts linked to Mone and Barrowman in 2020 during an investigation into possible corruption in securing government contracts. The bank accounts were unfrozen in November 2020 after assurances from Barrowman that neither Barrowman nor Mone had any role advising UK government officials on PPE procurement and that Mone had no involvement in
2772-484: A substantial sum of money into a controversial tax avoidance scheme, criticised by Chancellor George Osborne as "morally repugnant". Following a test case brought by HMRC against Rangers Football Club , the scheme utilising an employee benefit trust (the type of tax avoidance scheme used by MJM International) was exposed as ineffective in November 2015. Mone said she had "not done anything wrong" in relation to tax avoidance and that her ex-husband had "dealt with all
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#17330851098482904-495: A townhouse in Belgravia , properties in Glasgow , an estate on the Isle of Man and numerous bank accounts. In June 2024 it was reported that a 46-year-old man, who was not named, had been arrested in connection with the criminal investigation into PPE Medpro, on suspicion of conspiracy to commit fraud and attempting to pervert the course of justice. On 21 November 2002, Paisley University awarded her an honorary doctorate . Mone
3036-461: A £250 million residential development in Dubai which they claimed was to be the "first-ever development to be priced in bitcoin ". In April 2019, The Sunday Times reported that the development was "on hold" with the construction incomplete, while a spokesman for Mone said that it was going "extremely well" and was in the process of being redesigned. In 2018, Mone and her partner Doug Barrowman launched
3168-512: Is an image of Britannia surrounded by the motto, with the words "For Meritorious Service" at the bottom; on the reverse is George V's Imperial and Royal Cypher, with the words "Instituted by King George V" at the bottom. The name of the recipient is engraved on the rim. This medal is nicknamed "the Gong", and comes in both full-sized and miniature versions – the latter for formal white-tie and semi-formal black-tie occasions. A lapel pin for everyday wear
3300-440: Is his duty to distribute as fairly as he can." The chancellor has considerable control over other departments as it is the Treasury that sets Departmental Expenditure Limits. The amount of power this gives to an individual chancellor depends on their personal forcefulness, their status within their party and their relationship with the prime minister. Gordon Brown , who became chancellor when Labour came into Government in 1997, had
3432-931: Is not a member of the College of Arms , as are many other heraldic officers; and the Lady Usher of the Purple Rod does not – unlike the Order of the Garter equivalent, the Lady Usher of the Black Rod – perform any duties related to the House of Lords . Since the Second World War, several Commonwealth realms have established their own national system of honours and awards and have created their own unique orders, decorations and medals. A number, though, continue to make recommendations for appointments to
3564-559: Is now always second lord of the Treasury as one of at least six lords commissioners of the Treasury , responsible for executing the office of the Treasurer of the Exchequer – the others are the prime minister and Commons government whips. In the 18th and early 19th centuries, it was common for the prime minister also to serve as Chancellor of the Exchequer if he sat in the Commons;
3696-449: The Bank of England was granted independent control of its interest rates. Since 1718, all chancellors of the exchequer, except at times the lord chief justice as interim holders, have been members of the House of Commons , with Lord Stanhope being the last chancellor from the House of Lords . The office holder works alongside the other Treasury ministers and the permanent secretary to
3828-407: The House of Commons . The budget is a state secret until the chancellor reveals it in the speech given to Parliament. Hugh Dalton , on his way to giving the budget speech in 1947, inadvertently blurted out key details to a newspaper reporter, and they appeared in print before he made his speech. Dalton was forced to resign. Although the Bank of England is responsible for setting interest rates,
3960-658: The Isle of Man and associated business addresses were raided by the police, who launched an investigation into potential fraud. The National Crime Agency is pursuing a tandem investigation into PPE Medpro. It was reported that the NCA is liaising with the Crown Prosecution Service and could, ultimately, seek to bring charges under bribery or fraud laws. In November 2022, The Guardian reported that an Isle of Man trust, of which Mone and her adult children are beneficiaries, had received £29 million originating from PPE Medpro via
4092-562: The Labatt brewing company and, within two years, had risen to become its head of marketing in Scotland. She has since said that she invented qualifications to help get the job there. She was then made redundant by the company, prompting her, at the age of 23, to set up her own business using the redundancy compensation she received from Labatt. In November 1996, Mone founded MJM International with her then-husband Michael. In August 1999, Mone launched
Michelle Mone, Baroness Mone - Misplaced Pages Continue
4224-541: The Order of Canada . On the other hand, the Australian Honours System unilaterally created in 1975 did not achieve bi-partisan support until 1992, which was when Australian federal and state governments agreed to cease Australian recommendations for British honours; the last Australian recommended Order of the British Empire appointments were in the 1989 Queen's Birthday Honours . New Zealand continued to use
4356-665: The Ultimo lingerie brand at Selfridges department store in London. Mone came up with the idea for the Ultimo bra, the brand's first product, when she was wearing an uncomfortable cleavage-enhancing bra one day and believed she could create a more comfortable cleavage-enhancing bra. Mone had read about a new silicone product while on holiday in Florida and approached the company to obtain its European licence to produce bras. Mone has claimed that an Ultimo bra
4488-471: The foreign secretary and home secretary . One part of the chancellor's key roles involves the framing of the annual year budget . As of 2017, the first is the Autumn Budget , also known as Budget Day which forecasts government spending in the next financial year and also announces new financial measures. The second is a Spring Statement , also known as a "mini-Budget". Britain's tax year has retained
4620-559: The lord chief justice of the King's Bench has acted as interim Chancellor. The last peer to hold the office was Henry Booth, 2nd Baron Delamer (created Earl of Warrington shortly after leaving office) from 9 April 1689 to 18 March 1690. The chancellor holds the formerly independent office of Master of the Mint as a subsidiary office. The chancellor of the Exchequer has no official London residence as such but since 1828 in their role as Second Lord of
4752-647: The 1990s) have also worn it when attending the Trial of the Pyx as Master of the Mint. According to George Osborne, the robe (dating from Gladstone's time in office, and worn by the likes of Lloyd George and Churchill ) 'went missing' during Gordon Brown's time as chancellor. Although the Kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland had been united by the Acts of Union 1800 , the Exchequers of
4884-464: The 21st century quotas were introduced to ensure consistent representation among recipients across nine categories of eligibility: with the largest proportion of awards being reserved for community, voluntary and local service. Non-military awards of the British Empire Medal resumed in 2012, starting with 293 BEMs awarded for Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee . In 2017 the centenary of
5016-499: The Bank's Governor and Deputy Governors, and has the right of consultation over the appointment of the two remaining MPC members from within the Bank. The Act also provides that the Government has the power to give instructions to the Bank on interest rates for a limited period in extreme circumstances. This power has never been officially used. At HM Treasury the chancellor is supported by
5148-788: The British Empire . Rather than using this chapel, the Order now holds its great services upstairs in the nave of the cathedral. In addition to the Chapel of the Order of the British Empire, St Paul's Cathedral also houses the Chapel of the Order of St Michael and St George . Religious services for the whole Order are held every four years; new Knights and Dames Grand Cross are installed at these services. Knights Grand Cross and Knights Commander prefix Sir , and Dames Grand Cross and Dames Commander prefix Dame , to their forenames. Wives of Knights may prefix Lady to their surnames, but no equivalent privilege exists for husbands of Knights or spouses of Dames. Such forms are not used by peers and princes, except when
5280-490: The British Empire for Gallantry. Any individual made a member of the order for gallantry after 14 January 1958 wears an emblem of two crossed silver oak leaves on the same ribbon as the badge, with a miniature version on the ribbon bar when worn alone. When the ribbon only is worn the emblem is worn in miniature. It could not be awarded posthumously , and was replaced in 1974 with the Queen's Gallantry Medal (QGM). If recipients of
5412-718: The Exchequer The chancellor of the exchequer , often abbreviated to chancellor , is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom , and head of Treasury . As one of the four Great Offices of State , the chancellor is a high-ranking member of the British Cabinet . Responsible for all economic and financial matters, the role is equivalent to that of a finance minister in other countries. The chancellor
Michelle Mone, Baroness Mone - Misplaced Pages Continue
5544-519: The House of Lords on 12% of the days in which it was sitting, missing important debates including on the Brexit bill. Her low attendance led SNP MSP Rona Mackay to describe her as the "Layabout Lady of Mayfair" and businessman Douglas Anderson, who had criticised her original appointment, called for her to resign. By early 2022, Mone had made only five speeches in the House of Lords and asked 22 written questions. In December 2022, Mone's spokesperson said she
5676-492: The House of Lords with immediate effect "in order to clear her name of the allegations that have been unjustly levelled against her." On 19 December 2022 it emerged that the government would sue PPE Medpro for £122 million plus costs. The government said that medical gowns which were supplied by the company "did not comply with the specification in the contract" and could not be used in the NHS. PPE Medpro said it would "rigorously" defend
5808-585: The ITV programme Loose Women in 2020, Mone said she lost weight during the COVID-19 lockdown by exercising three times a day. She stated: "When I was overweight and in a very uncomfortable horrible marriage, my way of coping with that was to continuously eat." In 2012 Mone's company, Ultimo Beauty, launched a fake tan product. In 2014 when announcing that she had sold most of her stake in Ultimo, she confirmed she had taken 100% control of Ubeauty Global, consisting of
5940-455: The Isle of Man, at that time wholly owned and controlled by Anthony Page. Page had business connections with both Mone and her husband, Doug Barrowman. On the same day that PPE Medpro was incorporated, Page resigned as business as secretary for MGM Media, the company owned in whole by Mone that manages and receives payment for Mone's branding and media engagements. Page also served as company director of
6072-569: The Knox House Trust until September 2022. The Knox House Trust, wholly owned by Barrowman, has two divisions; one providing offshore wealth management services to high net worth clients, and the second, which was run by Page, is Barrowman's “family office”, also known as the Knox family office, which oversees his and his family's financial affairs. On 12 June 2020, PPE Medpro was awarded its first contract to supply personal protective equipment (PPE) to
6204-693: The Military Division of the order from the UK and across the Empire. Recommendations for all appointments to the Order of the British Empire were originally made on the nomination of the King's United Kingdom ministers (recommendations for overseas awards were made by the Foreign Office , the Colonial Office , the India Office and the Dominions Office ); but in the early 1940s the system was changed to enable
6336-788: The NHS COVID-19 pandemic after one month of incorporation. This first contract was valued at £80.85m for the supply of 210m facemasks. Two weeks later, the company secured its second contract valued at £122m for the supply of 25m surgical gowns. The government awarded both contracts for PPE without competitive tenders under COVID-19 emergency regulations that waived normal requirements. The Guardian later reported that throughout 2020 lawyers acting for both Mone and Barrowman "consistently and emphatically" denied any involvement with PPE Medpro when questioned; in November 2020, Mone's lawyer told The Guardian that Mone "is not connected in any way with PPE Medpro". Barrowman's lawyers repeatedly denied that he
6468-436: The Order of the British Empire for Gallantry received promotion within the order, whether for gallantry or otherwise, they continued to wear also the insignia of the lower grade with the oak leaves; however, they used only the post-nominal letters of the higher grade. When the order was founded in 1917, badges, ribands and stars were appointed for wear by recipients. In 1929 mantles, hats and collars were added for recipients of
6600-456: The Order of the British Empire. In 2024 appointments to the order were made by the governments of: Most members of the order are citizens of the United Kingdom or Commonwealth realms that use the UK system of honours and awards. In addition, honorary awards may be made to citizens of nations where the monarch is not head of state ; these permit use of post-nominal letters, but not the title of Sir or Dame . Honorary appointees who later become
6732-404: The Order, however, are not assigned any special precedence. As a general rule, only wives and children of male recipients are afforded privileges. Knights and Dames Grand Cross are also entitled to be granted heraldic supporters . They may, furthermore, encircle their arms with a depiction of the circlet (a circle bearing the motto) and the collar; the former is shown either outside or on top of
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#17330851098486864-585: The Treasury is not a minister but the senior civil servant in the Treasury. The chancellor is obliged to be a member of the Privy Council , and thus is styled the Right Honourable (Rt. Hon.). Because the House of Lords is excluded from financial matters by tradition confirmed by the Parliament Acts , the office is effectively limited to members of the House of Commons; apart from the occasions when
6996-546: The Treasury . The corresponding shadow minister is the shadow chancellor of the Exchequer , and the chancellor is also scrutinised by the Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesperson and the Treasury Select Committee . The current chancellor is Rachel Reeves . The holder of the office of chancellor of the exchequer is ex officio second lord of the Treasury as a member of the commission exercising
7128-541: The Treasury . Whilst not continuously in use, there can also be appointed a commercial secretary to the Treasury and an exchequer secretary to the Treasury . Two other officials are given the title of a secretary to the Treasury , although neither is a government minister in the Treasury: the parliamentary secretary to the Treasury is the Government Chief Whip in the House of Commons ; the permanent secretary to
7260-467: The Treasury they live in the second lord's official residence, No. 11 Downing Street . In 1997, the then first and second Lords, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown respectively, swapped apartments, as the chancellor's larger apartment in No. 11 better accommodated Blair's substantial family (besides himself and his wife, he had three children under 18 upon taking office, and a fourth was born in 2000); meanwhile, Brown
7392-460: The United Kingdom; those who would formerly have met the criteria for the medal were instead made eligible for the MBE. In 2004, a report entitled A Matter of Honour: Reforming Our Honours System by a Commons select committee recommended phasing out the Order of the British Empire, as its title was "now considered to be unacceptable, being thought to embody values that are no longer shared by many of
7524-450: The addition of a vertical pearl grey stripe in the centre for awards in the military division). From time to time the order was expanded: there was an increase in the maximum permitted number of recipients in 1933, and a further increase in 1937. During the Second World War, as had been the case during and after World War I, the number of military awards was greatly increased; between 1939 and 1946 there were more than 33,000 appointments to
7656-501: The ancient office of treasurer of the exchequer . As second lord, her official residence is 11 Downing Street in London, next door to the residence of the first lord of the Treasury (a title that has for many years been held by the prime minister ), who resides in 10 Downing Street . While in the past both houses were private residences, today they serve as interlinked offices, with the occupant living in an apartment made from attic rooms previously resided in by servants. Since 1827,
7788-428: The assets of Ultimo Beauty. In 2016, after she was made a peer, Mone changed the company formation so that it no longer had to publish public trading accounts. In February 2017 accounts for the company were published, covering the time from 2014 to 2016 and it was revealed the company had assets of £23,000. In March 2017, Mone announced that she had sold the company. In 2017, Mone and her partner Doug Barrowman launched
7920-401: The box, containing the budget speech, to the press before leaving 11 Downing Street for the House of Commons. The original budget box was first used by William Ewart Gladstone in 1853 and continued in use until 1965 when James Callaghan was the first chancellor to break with tradition when he used a newer box. Prior to Gladstone, a generic red despatch box of varying design and specification
8052-455: The business activities of PPE Medpro. Despite such denials, the HSBC report also documented Mone telling the bank that she and Barrowman advised government ministers on procurement, with Mone complaining that the frozen accounts were damaging PPE Medpro “indicating [she] may indeed have had an interest” in the supplier. On 6 December 2022, Mone's spokesperson said she was taking a leave of absence from
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#17330851098488184-468: The cathedral. That year, Commonwealth awards made up 40% of all OBEs and MBEs awarded (and 35% of all living recipients of the higher awards). Gradually that proportion reduced as independent states within the Commonwealth established their own systems of honours . The last Canadian recommendation for the Order of the British Empire was an MBE for gallantry gazetted in 1966, a year before the creation of
8316-643: The chairman and leader of the PPE Medpro consortium that supplied the UK government". In December, Mone featured in another interview on Laura Kuenssberg 's BBC show in which she stated that she had lied to the press "to protect my family", adding that this was "not a crime". On 26 January 2024, assets controlled by Mone and her husband were frozen under a court order obtained by the Crown Prosecution Service . The Financial Times reported that restrictions had been placed over £75m worth of assets, including
8448-407: The chancellor also plays an important part in the monetary policy structure. They set the inflation target which the Bank must set interest rates to meet. Under the Bank of England Act 1998 the chancellor has the power of appointment of four out of nine members of the Bank's Monetary Policy Committee – the so-called 'external' members. They also have a high level of influence over the appointment of
8580-424: The chancellor has always simultaneously held the office of second lord of the Treasury when that person has not also been the prime minister. A previous chancellor, Robert Lowe , described the office in the following terms in the House of Commons, on 11 April 1870: "The Chancellor of the Exchequer is a man whose duties make him more or less of a taxing machine. He is entrusted with a certain amount of misery which it
8712-418: The circlet. In 1929, to bring the order into line with the other orders of chivalry, members of the first class of the order (GBE) were provided with mantles, hats and collars. Only Knights/Dames Grand Cross wear these elaborate vestments; the hat is now rarely, if ever, worn. Use of the mantle is limited to important occasions (such as quadrennial services and coronations ). The mantle is always worn with
8844-458: The claim. In November 2023, after three years of denials, Mone acknowledged that Barrowman and she were involved with PPE Medpro. PPE Medpro commissioned a documentary released on YouTube titled The Interview: Baroness Mone and the PPE Scandal produced by investigative journalist Mark Williams-Thomas . The film said that Mone and Barrowman had been interviewed under caution. Two participants in
8976-444: The collar. Although the mantle was introduced in 1929, very few mantles would have been produced prior to the 1937 design changes, as there were few occasions for wearing them in the intervening years. On certain days designated by the sovereign, known as " collar days ", members attending formal events may wear the order's collar over their military uniform, formal day dress, evening wear or robes of office. Collars are returned upon
9108-511: The company to the government by lobbying Theodore Agnew (then the Minister of State for Efficiency and Transformation and cabinet minister responsible for procurement during the COVID-19 pandemic) and cabinet minister Michael Gove (then the chair of the COVID-19 operations subcommittee) through its VIP fast-track lane for firms with political connections and that the company was awarded £200 million in government contracts. This high-priority process
9240-489: The contracts. Mone announced in December that year that she was taking a leave of absence from the House of Lords "to clear her name" amid the allegations. Shortly afterwards the UK government announced plans to sue PPE Medpro for £122 million plus costs over the defective items. In December 2023, Mone disclosed that she had been involved with PPE Medpro and said she had previously denied it to protect her family. In February 2024,
9372-424: The controversy by tweeting that people should "work hard" and not "look for excuses" for their own poverty. In October 2016 she said that she was wrong to support the cuts and she regretted the way she voted. In her maiden speech in the House of Lords, Mone stated: "I look forward to playing a full and active role in your lordships’ house". The Times reported in 2018 that in the previous year, Mone had only attended
9504-471: The country's finances during the global economic crisis . During the London riots in August 2011 , Mone called for the army to be brought in and tweeted "People who riot, steal, cover face deserve zero human rights". In January 2012, she gave an interview to The Sunday Times stating her intention to move herself and her business to England were Scotland to become independent following the 2014 referendum on
9636-479: The country's population". The committee further suggested changing the name of the award to the Order of British Excellence, and changing the rank of Commander to Companion (as the former was said to have a "militaristic ring"), as well as advocating for the abolition of knighthoods and damehoods; the government, however, was not of the opinion that a case for change had been made, and the aforementioned suggestions and recommendations were not, therefore, pursued. In
9768-454: The death of a person. He said that Mone called him "a waste of a man's white skin" via text. A spokesperson for Mone said she was not a racist and "Baroness Mone and her husband have built over 15 schools in Africa in the past three years"; this was followed by a message from her lawyers, who said that Mone could not access her messages and had no "detailed memory of them". Mone's spokesperson said it
9900-403: The death of their owners, but other insignia may be retained. The six office-holders of the order wear pearl-grey mantles lined with rose-pink, having on the right side a purple shield charged with the roundel from the badge. Each of these office-holders wears a unique badge of office, suspended from a gold chain worn around the neck. The British Empire Medal is made of silver. On the obverse
10032-607: The distinction between ranks in military operational gallantry awards will cease'. The reforms affected the order at various levels: for example the automatic award each year of a GBE to the Lord Mayor of London ceased; the OBE replaced the Imperial Service Order as an award for civil servants and the number of MBEs awarded each year was significantly increased. As part of these reforms the British Empire Medal stopped being awarded by
10164-411: The efficacy of the product had been proven in clinical trials. However, when questioned further, she said that approximately 60 users had completed a questionnaire but was unable to produce the results. In October 2013, Jan de Vries sold his interest in the company with Mone having 60% of the business and a silent business partner the remaining 40%. In August 2015 it was reported that the company had made
10296-458: The film told The Sunday Times that they had not been informed during production that the film was funded by PPE Medpro. A representative acting for Barrowman confirmed that half the money required upfront was "provided by the Family Office of Doug Barrowman", part of the Knox firm ultimately controlled by Barrowman which manages his private wealth. The representative also said that Barrowman "was
10428-498: The finance". In August 2015, Mone resigned her directorships of both MJM and Ultimo, saying she had sold 80% of the latter. TrimSecrets were weight loss pills formulated by the "naturopath" Jan de Vries. The product also used diet and exercise advice. In 2006 MJM formed a joint venture with de Vries, taking a 50% share in the product. Mone claimed that exercise and reduced calorific intake had no effect on her weight and credited TrimSecrets pills for her weight loss. Mone falsely claimed
10560-464: The former was to be responsible for recording all proceedings connected with the order, issuing warrants under the seal of the order and making arrangements for investitures, while the latter (at that time the Permanent Secretary to the Treasury ) was responsible for collecting and tabulating the names of those who were to receive an award. The office of Dean was added in 1957. The King of Arms
10692-459: The government, saying they could be sourced through “my team in Hong Kong”. Despite Mone first claiming her involvement in the company went no further than a single recommendation, many further emails detailed extensive lobbying of multiple ministers and staff for months. Leaked WhatsApp messages seen by The Guardian appeared to show Mone further discussing intimate details of the orders including
10824-401: The governments of overseas dominions to make their own nominations; Canada and South Africa began doing so in 1942, followed by Australia, New Zealand and other Commonwealth realms. In May 1957, forty years after the foundation of the order, it was announced that St Paul's Cathedral was to serve as the church of the order, and in 1960 a chapel was dedicated for its use within the crypt of
10956-450: The highest class of the order (GBE). The designs of all these items underwent major changes in 1937. The badge is worn by all members of the order; the size, colour and design depends on the class of award. The badge for all classes is in the form of a cross patonce (having the arms growing broader and floriated toward the end) with a medallion in the centre, the obverse of which bears a crowned image of George V and Queen Mary within
11088-562: The honours system, calling it "a preposterous charade". The order has attracted some criticism for its naming having connection with the idea of the now-extinct British Empire . Benjamin Zephaniah , a British poet of Jamaican and Barbadian descent, publicly rejected appointment as an Officer in 2003 because, he asserted, it reminded him of "thousands of years of brutality". He also said that "it reminds me of how my foremothers were raped and my forefathers brutalised". Chancellor of
11220-446: The insignia to Buckingham Palace and by ceasing to make reference to their honour, but they still hold the honour unless and until annulled by the monarch. In 2003, The Sunday Times published a list of the people who had rejected the Order of the British Empire, including David Bowie , John Cleese , Nigella Lawson , Elgar Howarth , L. S. Lowry , George Melly , and J. G. Ballard . In addition, Ballard voiced his opposition to
11352-515: The issue. However, despite Scotland voting No in the referendum, Mone confirmed a few months later that she was leaving Scotland. On 10 August 2015, the government announced that Mone would lead a two-part review into entrepreneurship and small businesses, particularly focusing upon setting up small businesses in deprived areas, under the Work and Pensions Secretary , Iain Duncan Smith . On 27 August 2015,
11484-624: The junior post-nominal letters. The British sovereign is the sovereign of the order and appoints all other officers of the order (by convention, on the advice of the governments of the United Kingdom and some Commonwealth realms ). The second-most senior officer is the Grand Master (a 'Prince of the Blood Royal, or other exalted personage' appointed by the sovereign, who, by virtue of their appointment, becomes 'the First or Principal Knight Grand Cross of
11616-512: The last Chancellor who was simultaneously prime minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer was Stanley Baldwin in 1923. Formerly, in cases when the chancellorship was vacant, the lord chief justice of the King's Bench would act as chancellor pro tempore . The last lord chief justice to serve in this way was Lord Denman in 1834. The chancellor is the third-oldest major state office in English and British history, and in recent times has come to be
11748-519: The latter. Knights and Dames Commander and Commanders may display the circlet, but not the collar, surrounding their arms. The badge is depicted suspended from the collar or circlet. See List of current honorary knights and dames of the Order of the British Empire Only the monarch can annul an honour. The Honours Forfeiture Committee considers cases and makes recommendations for forfeiture. An individual can renounce their honour by returning
11880-463: The left breast, by Knights and Dames Grand Cross; Knights and Dames Commander wear a smaller star composed of 'four equal points and four lesser'. The star is not worn by the more junior classes. Prior to 1937 each star had in the centre a gold medallion with a figure of Britannia, surrounded by a crimson circlet inscribed with the motto of the order ('For God and the Empire'); since 1937 the effigies of King George V and Queen Mary have been shown within
12012-569: The medal 'for gallantry', which had come to be known as the Empire Gallantry Medal , were given permission to use the postnominal letters EGM (and at the same time to add a laurel branch emblem to the ribbon of the medal); however, in 1940, awards of the EGM ceased and all holders of the medal were instructed to exchange it for a new and more prestigious gallantry award: the George Cross . In 1941,
12144-547: The medal of the order 'for meritorious service' was renamed the British Empire Medal , and the following year its recipients were granted the right to use the postnominal letters BEM. During the war, the BEM came to be used to recognise acts of bravery which did not merit the award of a George Cross or George Medal , a use which continued until the introduction of the Queen's Gallantry Medal in 1974. The designs of insignia of
12276-449: The medal. The colour of the riband was also changed: twenty years earlier, prior to the order's establishment, Queen Mary had made it known that pink would be her preferred colour for the riband of the proposed new order, but, in the event, purple was chosen. Following her appointment as Grand Master of the order in 1936 a change was duly made and since 9 March 1937 the riband of the order has been 'rose pink edged with pearl grey’ (with
12408-675: The most powerful office in British politics after the prime minister. It originally carried responsibility for the Exchequer , the medieval English institution for the collection and auditing of royal revenues. The earliest surviving records which are the results of the exchequer's audit date from 1129 to 1130 under King Henry I and show continuity from previous years. The chancellor has oversight of fiscal policy , therefore of taxation and public spending across government departments . It previously controlled monetary policy as well until 1997, when
12540-446: The most senior two of which make the recipient either a knight if male or a dame if female. There is also the related British Empire Medal , whose recipients are affiliated with, but not members of, the order. The order was established on 4 June 1917 by King George V , who created the order to recognise 'such persons, male or female, as may have rendered or shall hereafter render important services to Our Empire'. Equal recognition
12672-469: The names of the former are written out in their fullest forms. Male clergy of the Church of England or the Church of Scotland do not use the title Sir (unless they were knighted before being ordained) as they do not receive the accolade (they are not dubbed "knight" with a sword), although they do append the post-nominal letters ; dames do not receive the accolade, and therefore female clergy are free to use
12804-477: The new box is made of yellow pine, with a brass handle and lock, covered in scarlet leather and embossed with the Royal cypher and crest and the chancellor's title. In his first Budget , in March 2008, Alistair Darling reverted to using the original budget box and his successor, George Osborne, continued this tradition for his first budget, before announcing that it would be retired due to its fragile condition. The key to
12936-512: The newspaper. Mone's autobiography, My Fight to the Top was published in 2015. On 26 December 2018 Mone announced her engagement to Scottish businessman Douglas Barrowman . They were married on 29 November 2020. In December 2021, a wealth manager of Indian heritage accused Mone of sending racist text messages to him after the two were involved in a 2019 yachting incident in Monaco , which resulted in
13068-399: The numbers restricted to the order as full members do. Although the Order of the British Empire has by far the highest number of members of the British orders of chivalry, with more than 100,000 living members worldwide, there are fewer appointments to knighthoods than in other orders. From time to time, individuals may be promoted to a higher grade within the Order, thereby ceasing usage of
13200-459: The old Julian end of year: 24 March (Old Style) / 5 April (New Style, i.e. Gregorian). From 1993, the Budget was in spring, preceded by an annual autumn statement. This was then called Pre-Budget Report . The Autumn Statement usually took place in November or December. The 1997, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007 , 2008 , 2012 and 2016 budgets were all delivered on a Wednesday, summarised in a speech to
13332-605: The order alongside its own honours until the establishment of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 1996. Other Commonwealth realms have continued to use the Order of the British Empire alongside their own honours. In 1993 the Prime Minister, John Major , instituted a reform of the honours system with the aim 'that exceptional service or achievement will be more widely recognised; that greater importance will be given to voluntary service; that automatic honours will end; that
13464-408: The order and medal were altered in 1937, prior to the coronation of King George VI , 'in commemoration of the reign of King George V and Queen Mary, during which the Order was founded'. The figure of Britannia at the centre of the badge of the order was replaced with an image of the crowned heads of the late King and Queen Mary, and the words 'Instituted by King George V' were added to the reverse of
13596-409: The order was celebrated with a service at St Paul's Cathedral. The order is limited to 300 Knights and Dames Grand Cross, 845 Knights and Dames Commander, and 8,960 Commanders. There are no limits applied to the total number of members of the fourth and fifth classes, but no more than 858 officers and 1,464 members may be appointed per year. Foreign appointees, as honorary members, do not contribute to
13728-426: The order, to which serving personnel would in future be appointed. The classes were the same as for the Civil Division (as it was now termed), but military awards were distinguished by the addition of a central vertical red stripe to the purple riband of the civil awards. In 1920 appointment as an MBE 'for an act of gallantry' was granted for the first time, to Sydney Frank Blanck Esq, who had rescued an injured man from
13860-678: The original budget box has been lost. By tradition, the chancellor has been allowed to drink whatever they wish while making the annual budget speech to Parliament. This includes alcohol, which is otherwise banned under parliamentary rules. Previous chancellors have opted for whisky ( Kenneth Clarke ), gin and tonic ( Geoffrey Howe ), brandy and water ( Benjamin Disraeli and John Major ), spritzer ( Nigel Lawson ) and sherry and beaten egg ( William Gladstone ). The chancellors after Clarke, Philip Hammond , George Osborne , Alistair Darling and Gordon Brown , opted for water. In fact Darling drank what
13992-460: The prime minister, David Cameron , announced a list of new creations of life peers , including Mone. Her inclusion drew criticism from other business leaders. Some Conservatives questioned her suitability for the House of Lords . Mone was criticised on Twitter when her first vote in the House of Lords was to vote against a motion to delay government cuts to tax credits of around £1,300 a year for three million low-income families. Mone responded to
14124-586: The same Order'). The position of Grand Master has been held by the following people: In addition to the sovereign and the grand master , the order has six further officers: At its foundation the order was served by three officers: the King of Arms, the Registrar & Secretary and the Gentleman Usher of the Purple Rod. In 1922 the Prelate was added, and the office of Registrar was separated from that of Secretary:
14256-447: The size of garments that formed part of a contract. Mone was also shown to have lobbied for LFI Diagnostics, a company established as a secret entity of her husband Barrowman's family office , Knox family office. Lawyers for Mone and her husband denied the allegations. An unnamed source told The Guardian that Mone was "in a class of her own in terms of the sheer aggression of her advocacy" for LFI Diagnostics. Mone's lobbying of government
14388-455: The standard of the George Medal (even though, as appointments to an order of chivalry, they were listed before it on the Order of Wear . In contrast to awards for meritorious service, which usually appear without a citation, there were often citations for gallantry awards, some detailed and graphic. From 14 January 1958, these awards were designated Commander, Officer or Member of the Order of
14520-411: The then-chancellor, Alistair Darling . The chancellor traditionally carries his or her budget speech to the House of Commons in a particular red despatch box . The so-called ‘Budget Box’ is identical to the cases used by all other government ministers (known as ministerial boxes or "despatch boxes") to transport their official papers, but is better known because the chancellor traditionally displays
14652-506: The title Dame . Knights and Dames Grand Cross use the post-nominal GBE; Knights Commander, KBE; Dames Commander, DBE; Commanders, CBE; Officers, OBE; and Members, MBE. The post-nominal for the British Empire Medal is BEM. Members of all classes of the order are assigned positions in the order of precedence . Wives of male members of all classes also feature on the order of precedence, as do sons, daughters and daughters-in-law of Knights Grand Cross and Knights Commander; relatives of Ladies of
14784-577: The titles Sir for men and Dame for women before their forenames, except with honorary awards. King George V founded the order to fill gaps in the British honours system : In particular, George V wished to create an order to honour the many thousands of individuals from across the Empire who had served in a variety of non-combat roles during the First World War . From its foundation the order consisted of five classes (GBE, KBE/DBE, CBE, OBE and MBE) and
14916-519: The two Kingdoms were not consolidated until 1817 under the Consolidated Fund Act 1816 ( 56 Geo. 3 . c. 98). For the holders of the Irish office before this date, see Chancellor of the Exchequer of Ireland . Chancellorship Chancellorship Chancellorship Chancellorship Chancellorship Chancellorship Prime Minister Keir Starmer Chancellor of
15048-431: Was "illogical she would have made such a comment or made it with the slightest racist intent as, at the time, she had no knowledge that the complainant was anything other than white British, as his appearance is 100% white, with a cut-glass English accent." The allegations of racism were referred to the House of Lords Commissioner for Standards , but commissioners did not investigate the matter as Mone's comments were said in
15180-449: Was a presenter on a 2005 BBC One series of programmes, Mind Your Own Business , in which she gave advice to a number of small businesses. Mone appeared on nine episodes of BBC Two's The Apprentice: You're Fired! between 2007 and 2009, and was a contestant on a 2009 celebrity edition of The Apprentice . She appeared as a contestant on an ITV show, 71 Degrees North in 2010. She was a contestant on Celebrity MasterChef in 2011. She
15312-415: Was an investor in the company or a consortium supporting it, and said he "never had any role or function in PPE Medpro". In December 2020, a lawyer instructed by Mone and Barrowman told The Guardian that "any suggestion of an association" between Mone and PPE Medpro was "inaccurate", "misleading" and "defamatory". In November 2021, a Freedom of Information request revealed that Mone personally recommended
15444-489: Was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for her "services to the lingerie industry" in the 2010 New Year Honours . After consultation with the College of Arms , on 30 September 2015, she was created a life peer as Baroness Mone , of Mayfair in the City of Westminster. She was introduced in the House of Lords on 15 October by fellow Conservative peers Lord Freud and Baroness Morris of Bolton . She
15576-402: Was first announced at the end of December 2006, and is available to recipients of all levels of the order, as well as to holders of the British Empire Medal . The pin design is not unique to any level. The pin features the badge of the order, enclosed in a circle of ribbon of its colours of pink and grey. Lapel pins must be purchased separately by a member of the order. The creation of such a pin
15708-561: Was later described as bullying and hectoring ministers by Whitehall, and with her lobbying later accused of being "extraordinarily aggressive" and "threatening" by Matt Hancock , the then Minister of Health . Following a complaint by the Labour peer George Foulkes , the House of Lords commissioner for standards launched an investigation into the relationship between Mone and PPE Medpro in January 2022. On 27 April 2022, Mone's homes in London and on
15840-469: Was made a substantive member and subsequently styled as Sir Terry Wogan). Although initially intended to recognise meritorious service, the order began to also be awarded for gallantry. There were an increased number of cases in the Second World War for service personnel and civilians including the merchant navy, police, emergency services and civil defence, mostly MBEs but with a small number of OBEs and CBEs. Such awards were for gallantry that did not reach
15972-516: Was named "Standard Water" in reference to, and support of, the London Evening Standard newspaper's campaign to have plain tap water available in restaurants at no charge to customers. The chancellor, as Master of the Mint , has a robe of office, similar to that of the lord chancellor (as seen in several of the portraits depicted below). In recent times, it has only regularly been worn at coronations , but some chancellors (at least until
16104-508: Was open to both women and men; provision was also made for conferring honorary awards on foreign recipients. At the same time, alongside the order, the Medal of the Order of the British Empire was instituted, to serve as a lower award granting recipients affiliation but not membership. The first investiture took place at Ibrox Stadium , as part of a royal visit to the Glasgow shipyards, with the appointment of Alexander Ure, 1st Baron Strathclyde as
16236-489: Was put up for sale in 2019 for £25 million. Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry , rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service . It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions,
16368-571: Was recognised as one of the BBC's 100 women of 2017. Aged 17, Allan met her future husband, Michael Mone, and by 18 was pregnant with her first child, Rebecca. She then converted from Protestantism to Catholicism and married Michael, an anaesthetist 's son from a Catholic family. In November 2013 Mone gave Hello! a tour of her home in Glasgow and falsely claimed that Albert Einstein once lived there. When questioned about this claim by The National in 2023, she threatened to take legal action against
16500-566: Was recommended in Sir Hayden Phillips ' review of the honours system in 2004. The Chapel of the Order of the British Empire is in St Paul's Cathedral . It occupies the far eastern end of the cathedral crypt and was dedicated in 1960. The only heraldic banners normally on display in the chapel are those of the Sovereign of the Order of the British Empire and of the Grand Master of the Order of
16632-436: Was set up in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in order to bypass the normal competitive tender process for procurement that was considered urgent. It further emerged in January 2022 that Mone personally recommended Medpro for a government contract five days before PPE Medpro had been formed; in one key email, sent on 8 May 2020, Mone, using her private email address, proposed supplying large quantities of PPE face masks to
16764-507: Was taking a leave of absence from the House of Lords in order to "clear her name" of allegations [see PPE Medpro controversy, below] that had been "unjustly levelled against her". At that time, Mone had not spoken in a debate since March 2020 and had last voted in April 2022. PPE Medpro Limited was incorporated on 12 May 2020 as a private limited company in England and Wales, registered to an address on
16896-465: Was the subject of a BBC Radio 4 profile in 2015 on taking up a role as a government entrepreneurship tsar. Mone says she previously supported the Labour Party , as did her family, but withdrew her support in 2009 after the prime minister , Gordon Brown , increased the top income tax rate to 50%, also indicating that she would leave the UK. She further stated that Brown and his government mismanaged
17028-419: Was then unmarried and had no children. Dorneywood is the summer residence that is traditionally made available to the chancellor, though it is the prime minister who ultimately decides who may use it. Gordon Brown , on becoming chancellor in 1997, refused to use it and the house, which is set in 215 acres (87 ha) of parkland, was allocated to Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott . In 2007, it reverted to
17160-526: Was to be given for services rendered in the UK and overseas. Today the majority of recipients are UK citizens, though a number of Commonwealth realms outside the UK continue to make appointments to the order. Honorary awards may be made to citizens of other nations of which the order's sovereign is not the head of state. The five classes of appointment to the Order are, from highest grade to lowest grade: The senior two ranks of Knight or Dame Grand Cross and Knight or Dame Commander entitle their members to use
17292-562: Was used. The practice is said to have begun in the late 16th century, when Queen Elizabeth I 's representative Francis Throckmorton presented the Spanish Ambassador, Bernardino de Mendoza , with a specially constructed red briefcase filled with black puddings . In July 1997, Gordon Brown became the second chancellor to use a new box for the Budget. Made by industrial trainees at Babcock Rosyth Defence Ltd ship and submarine dockyard in Fife,
17424-553: Was worn by Julia Roberts in the Hollywood film Erin Brockovich , but this was denied by the film's creators. Ultimo went on to include other products, such as backless dresses and shapewear , which led to MJM International's growth. Mone left MJM International briefly in 2013 following the breakdown of her relationship with her then husband. The business assets were transferred to its parent firm, Ultimo Brands International Ltd, in
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