Australia rejected millions of face masks provided by PPE Medpro suppliers

Exclusive: Suppliers for firm linked to UK peer Michelle Mone helped source Covid masks for Australian government that were found unusable

Suppliers of PPE for a company linked to the Conservative peer Michelle Mone were also involved during the Covid pandemic in supplying millions of face masks to the Australian government that were rejected over safety concerns.

Australia's Department of Health and Aged Care told the Guardian that of 50m face masks supplied to fulfil a government contract awarded to a small online retailer, Australian Business Mobiles (ABM), the overwhelming majority - 45.7m - were deemed unusable for its health service. A department spokesperson said five of seven manufacturers that supplied the masks were deemed non-compliant with quality regulations".