Michael Gove under investigation by parliament’s standards watchdog

The housing secretary is being probed under a section of the code of conduct that members shall ‘always be open and frank’ in disclosing financial interests

Michael Gove has been put under investigation by parliament’s standards watchdog over his registration of interests.

The housing secretary is being probed under a section of the code of conduct that members shall “always be open and frank” in disclosing financial interests.

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 days after Mr Gove apologised for failing to register the hospitality he enjoyed with a Tory donor whose company he recommended for millions of pounds worth of PPE contracts.

Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Michael Gove is under investigation by Commons standards watchdog (Lucy North/PA) (PA Wire)

The former Cabinet Office minister was treated to VIP hospitality at a Queens Park Rangers (QPR) football match with David Meller in August 2021, The Guardian has revealed.

It came after Mr Meller’s company, Meller Designs, had been awarded £164 million of PPE contracts following a referral by Mr Gove in May 2021.

But despite the MPs’ code of conduct requiring members to register all gifts, donations and hospitality above a £300 value, Mr Gove did not register the match hospitality.

A spokesman for Mr Gove, now the housing secretary, said he was “grateful” to the newspaper for bringing the omission to his attention.

“He has written to the relevant parliamentary authorities to inform them of a potential omission from the register of members’ financial interests regarding two complimentary tickets he received from Queens Park Rangers Football Club to a match in August 2021,” the spokesman said.

“Mr Gove routinely declares his attendance at such events in his role as an MP and government minister, as evidenced by other entries in his register of interests and ministerial transparency returns.

“He apologises for any oversight on his part.”

Michael Gove apologised for any oversight in declaring his financial interests (Jane Barlow/PA Wire)

Mr Gove’s recommendation of Mr Meller’s firm, through the so-called VIP lane for Tory ministers, MPs, peers and government officials, was not public knowledge when he attended the football match with Mr Meller - a 1-1 draw with Millwall.

The pair sat in the box of one of QPR’s owners, Amit Bhatia, as Mr Meller’s son Jonny had said Mr Gove could feel uncomfortable in the stands amid public anger at the government’s handling of Covid.

A year earlier, as Cabinet Office minister, Mr Gove had recommended Meller Designs as a potential PPE supplier to the government’s chief commercial officer.

It was then awarded six PPE contracts worth £164 million.

The Liberal Democrats slammed Mr Gove’s failure to register the football match, saying it “raises serious questions about yet more sleaze at the heart of this Conservative government”.

Deputy leader Daisy Cooper said: “We need the ethics adviser to launch an inquiry to get to the bottom of this. Failure to declare a conflict of interest can amount to a clear breach of the ministerial code.

“How many other ministers may have been wined and dined by donors who then received lucrative PPE contracts? The public have had enough of being taken for fools by this Conservative government which squandered billions of pounds on dodgy PPE contracts.”

Allies of Mr Gove pointed to the fact that decisions to award PPE contracts were taken by officials, with Mr Gove playing no role.

All offers of PPE were passed to officials and went through a robust due diligence process, they added.

The VIP lane was set up at the start of the pandemic and allowed MPs, ministers and senior government officials to pass on offers of help to a special email inbox.

It follows accusations that the government “wasted” billions on unusable PPE and buying kit at inflated prices, after a report revealed the huge scale of losses.

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

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

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 in breach of lockdown rules.

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

Miriam Cates, a leading figure of the New Conservatives group, is under investigation by Parliament’s standards commissioner. (Danny Lawson/PA) (PA Archive)

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