Rupert Lowe’s company linked to major profits from COVID testing demand while he publicly condemned the policies that drove it.

Rupert Lowe, the Great Yarmouth MP (elected for Reform UK in 2024, later associated with Restore Britain), has built a significant part of his political brand on fierce criticism of the UK’s COVID-19 response. He has repeatedly called lockdowns, mass testing, and “vaccine-for-all” policies the “greatest scandal” and “most disgraceful period of recent history,” arguing they caused more harm than the virus itself, destroyed livelihoods, and were not justified by the evidence. He has advocated for protecting the vulnerable rather than broad restrictions, referenced Sweden’s approach under Anders Tegnell positively, and proposed measures such as quashing non-violent lockdown convictions, investigating non-COVID harms from restrictions and fear messaging, and overhauling vaccine damage payments.

The Business Link to COVID Testing

At the same time, Lowe is a long-standing non-executive director of Biopharma Process Systems Ltd (appointed around 2009) and of its parent PE487 Ltd. He is also a shareholder in the holding company. Biopharma Process Systems produces process equipment (including freeze-drying systems) for the pharmaceutical industry and, during the pandemic, produced respiratory PCR tests. Company accounts show it recorded a £7.9 million pre-tax profit in 2021 and a further £2.65 million in 2022. It paid substantial dividends—£2.16 million in 2021 and £1.7 million in 2022—and received £141,741 in government grants in 2021, which PE487’s chairman confirmed was Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (furlough) money. A 2022 strategic report noted a later drop in turnover “mainly as a result of the reduction on the production of respiratory PCR tests associated with the COVID pandemic.”

There is no suggestion of illegality. The company accessed support schemes available to many firms, and Lowe has stated he is not involved in day-to-day management. He has described himself as a non-executive director whose role brings business experience to Parliament and insisted his directorship “made zero impact” on his public opposition to lockdowns and widespread testing. He declared the PE487 directorship (and later additional details) on the parliamentary Register of Members’ Financial Interests.

Political Advantage from the Critique

The political payoff has been clearer. Criticism of the COVID response—shared by many who felt the costs of lockdowns, school closures, economic damage, inflation linked to quantitative easing, and delayed non-COVID care were under-examined—has been a consistent theme in Lowe’s parliamentary contributions, social media, and the positioning of Restore Britain. In a period when public trust in the official handling of the pandemic declined and inquiries focused more on process than overall cost-benefit, this stance aligned with a constituency of voters sceptical of the restrictions. His profile rose with Reform UK’s 2024 gains, and COVID-related messaging remains prominent in his output (for example, calls for formal apologies, compensation for vaccine-related job losses, and independent analysis of lockdown’s impact on children and excess non-COVID deaths).

Context and Caveats

Many businesses across healthcare, diagnostics, PPE, logistics, and related sectors saw elevated demand and profits during 2020–2022 because of government testing, procurement, and support programmes. Non-executive directors and shareholders routinely benefit from company performance without controlling operational decisions. Lowe’s long involvement in the pharma-process business predates COVID, and the firm’s later accounts reflect the post-pandemic decline in test production. Critics, including reporting in the Mirror, have highlighted the contrast between the profits/furlough and Lowe’s rhetoric; he has rejected any conflict, emphasising his non-executive status and consistent public views.

In short, the documented advantage was primarily commercial: a company with which Lowe has ownership and directorship ties profited substantially from PCR testing demand created by the pandemic response he has long denounced. Politically, the same critique has helped sustain and amplify his platform among voters who view the COVID measures as a major policy failure. The facts are a matter of public accounts and his own statements; whether the juxtaposition constitutes hypocrisy or simply separate business and political spheres is a judgment left to observers.

What is Biopharma Process Systems Limited (BPS):

(BPS) is a UK-based company founded in 1989 and headquartered at Biopharma House, Winnall Valley Road, Winchester, Hampshire (SO23 0LD). It is part of the broader Biopharma Group, which also includes Biopharma Technologies Ltd and related operations in France, Ireland, and the US.

Core Business

BPS is primarily a supplier of specialist capital equipment and related services to the pharmaceutical, biotech, diagnostics, bioprocessing, and food industries. Its main focus is lyophilization (freeze-drying) technology and associated equipment. Key offerings include:

• Pharma, biotech, and food-production freeze dryers

• Aseptic fill-finish and processing equipment

• Bioreactors and tangential flow filtration (TFF) systems

• Centrifugal solvent evaporators

• High-pressure homogenisers

• Analytical lyophilization instruments

• Microbiological safety cabinets and airflow equipment

• Cryopreservation storage solutions

• Technical service, maintenance, and training

The company also operates as a Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO), providing formulation development, cycle development, analysis, small-batch GMP production, and manufacturing support—especially for lyophilized products and diagnostics. It has ISO 13485 and ISO 9001 certifications and has worked with universities, pharma firms, and the NHS.

Principal activity (per company filings): suppliers of specialist equipment to the process industries, with SIC codes covering biotechnology R&D and other scientific/technical activities. It is a medium-sized private company (around 60–66 employees in recent years) controlled by PE487 Ltd.

COVID-19 Involvement

During the pandemic, Biopharma Group scaled up production of diagnostic tests. According to the company’s own materials:

• From 2020 to 2022, it produced 2.5 million diagnostic tests per month for the UK’s NHS.

• It had capacity for around 96,000 tests per day (and reports of ~100,000 COVID-19 tests per day for a sustained period).

• This involved freeze-dried reagents, mastermixes, controls, and related PCR/respiratory test components in formats such as 96-well plates or tubes, produced in an ISO 13485 facility.

This activity drove the strong profits reported for 2021 (£7.9 million pre-tax) and 2022, after which turnover declined as COVID-related PCR test demand fell. The firm has long expertise in freeze-drying reagents for diagnostics, so the pandemic work was an extension of existing capabilities rather than an entirely new line of business.

In short, Biopharma Process Systems is a specialist freeze-drying and bioprocessing equipment/services company that also acts as a CDMO for diagnostics. Its COVID-era role was large-scale production of diagnostic (including respiratory PCR-related) tests for the NHS, which significantly boosted its financial performance in 2021–22.