Michael Gove under investigation by Parliament watchdog over financial interests

WEST END FINAL

Get our award-winning daily news email featuring exclusive stories, opinion and expert analysis

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

Michael Gove is under investigation by Parliament’s standards watchdog, it was revealed on Thursday.

The probe relates to the Housing Secretary's register of financial interests.

The details of investigations by the Standards Commissioner, Daniel Greenberg, are kept confidential until the inquiry is concluded and those under investigation are barred from discussing the allegations.

It comes after reports that Mr Gove failed to register VIP hospitality he enjoyed at a football match with a Conservative donor whose firm he had recommended for multimillion-pound personal protective equipment (PPE) contracts during the Covid-19 pandemic.

He was entertained at a Queens Park Rangers match in 2021 with David Meller, whose company Meller Designs was awarded six PPE contracts worth £164 million following the then-Cabinet Office minister's referral in 2020, according to the Guardian.

Mr Gove said his failure to declare the two complimentary tickets he received was an "oversight" and that he had written to parliamentary authorities to inform them of the potential omission.

A code of conduct requires MPs to register gifts, benefits and hospitality over a value of £300.

The senior Tory is one of six Conservative MPs currently being investigated by the Standards Commissioner.

These include Deputy Speaker Dame Eleanor Laing, Sir Bernard Jenkin and Virginia Crosbie, who are believed to be under investigation for allegedly attending a birthday drinks event during the pandemic in breach of lockdown rules.

The Metropolitan Police closed their investigation into the same allegations in December with no action being taken.

Other Conservative MPs under investigation include Bob Stewart and Miriam Cates, who is facing claims that she caused "significant damage to the reputation of the House as a whole, or of its members generally".

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Sign up you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy notice .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in