Gove is launched

Greenberg, are kept confidential until the inquiry is concluded, and those under investigation are barred from discussing the allegations.

But The Guardian last week reported that Gove failed to register VIP hospitality he enjoyed at a football match with a Conservative donor whose firm he had recommended for multimillionpound 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 newspaper.

Gove’s spokesperson told the Guardian that the MP’s 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.

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

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

Andrew Bridgen, the formerly Tory MP, was also placed under investigation on Wednesday for allegations linked to registration of interests.

The other five MPs being probed 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.

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”.