She’s kept a low profile since a criminal probe was launched into allegations of fraud and bribery over government contracts awarded during the Covid pandemic.
But bra tycoon and Tory peer Michelle Mone appears to be quietly getting on with the daily routines of life as she was spotted putting the bins out.
The lingerie entrepreneur dubbed ‘Baroness Bra’ broke cover as she made a rare visit to her native Scotland.
Lady Mone, 53, appears to have been trying to put her troubles to one side as she returned to her hometown of Glasgow to enjoy traditional Hogmanay celebrations.
Dressed in a black baseball cap, long black puffer jacket and jeans, she got stuck into the daily chores as she carried out a black bin liner in one hand while holding some papers and a cup of coffee in the other.
Lady Mone was also seen carrying boxes from Majestic wine, a large Smyths toy bag and a Le Creuset pot among other items.
And she helped load items into a silver Boxer Mercedes van which was waiting outside the £1.4million townhouse in one of the city’s poshest streets, where she is thought to have been staying.
Lady Mone – who made her fortune from lingerie firm Ultimo – and her billionaire businessman husband Doug Barrowman then climbed into the vehicle which is believed to have headed to Glasgow Airport.
Bra tycoon and Tory peer Michelle Mone has been spotted on a rare trip to Scotland
The lingerie entrepreneur dubbed ‘Baroness Bra’ broke cover having returned to her hometown of Glasgow to enjoy traditional Hogmanay celebrations
Lady Mone was seen carrying a number of items into a car, from boxes of Majestic wine, a large Smyths toy bag and a Le Creuset pot (pictured) on January 3
The couple, who are based in the Isle of Man which is a tax haven, have been at the centre of a long-standing investigation launched by the National Crime Agency, known as Britain’s FBI.
They are probing payments to PPE Medpro, a consortium that Mr Barrowman led, which was awarded more than £200 million by the government to supply medical equipment after Baroness Mone recommended the firm to ministers during the pandemic.
It is currently being sued by the government for £122 million for ‘breach of contract and unjust enrichment’ over claims that its surgical gowns were unfit for use.
The company denies the allegations and Mr Barrowman, 59, says he is confident that he will win his civil case.
Lady Mone lobbied ministers Michael Gove and Lord Agnew for the PPE contracts but failed to declare any interest in the company to the House of Lords and her lawyers denied that she stood to benefit financially.
Mr Barrowman made more than £60 million profit on the deal, much of which was transferred to an offshore trust of which Lady Mone and her children are beneficiaries.
The National Crime Agency has frozen her bank accounts during the investigation.
A £10 million property portfolio in the neighbourhood where the couple were staying is among a string of assets worth around £75 million that have also been frozen.
Scottish businessman Doug Barrowman – who was at the centre of the PPE-procurement scandal with his wife, ‘Baroness Bra’ Michelle Mone
Lady Mone is seeing carrying boxes out of a property in Glasgow. Her husband Doug Barrowman (right) was also seen leaving the property
The couple, who are based in tax haven the Isle of Man, have been at the centre of a long-standing investigation launched by the National Crime Agency – known as Britain’s FBI
Lady Mone later left in this silver Boxer Mercedes van with a driver
Dressed in a black baseball cap, long black puffer jacket and jeans, Lady Mone got stuck into the daily chores as she carried out a black bin liner in one hand while holding some papers and a cup of coffee in the other
The couple had put up a number of assets for sale, including a home on St Barts, the Lady M yacht and a Cessna private jet.
They also owned a £20 million London townhouse and an Algarve villa.
The couple deny wrongdoing and Lady Mone complained in December 2023 she felt like she was being treated like the former Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar.
She added: ‘What happened to innocent until proven guilty?’
In 2015, the Conservative government appointed Lady Mone to carry out a review into how best to encourage start-ups in areas of high unemployment.
She was given a peerage in the same year and sat in the House of Lords until 2022 when she opted to take a leave of absence from the parliamentary chamber.
Lady Mone grew up in poverty in a tenement in Glasgow’s east End and has told how her childhood shaped her into a hard-edged businesswoman.
After leaving school with no qualifications, aged 15, Lady Mone worked as a model and for a beer company before deciding to launch her own underwear firm.
She once said: ‘I’ve been beaten up and taken it like a man. I’m not frightened about taking challenges on. I’ve got balls of steel.’