Michael Gove, the housing secretary, has been placed under investigation by parliament’s standards watchdog after notifying them that he failed to declare hospitality at a football match with a Tory donor.
The inquiry was revealed on Wednesday, with the standards commissioner saying it relates to Gove’s register of financial interests.
The commissioner did not give further details but Gove last week said that he would notify the authorities about an “oversight” that meant he failed to make the required declaration about hospitality at a football match in 2021.
The Guardian had reported that Gove failed to register hospitality he received alongside David Meller, a donor whose firm he had referred to the VIP lane for assessing PPE deals during the Covid pandemic. Meller’s firm, Meller Designs, won six PPE contracts worth £164m.
Gove’s referral of Meller Designs was not yet public knowledge when in August 2021 Meller and his son, Jonny, accompanied Gove and his son to Queens Park Rangers’ first match of the football season, a 1-1 draw with Millwall.
During that week Jonny Meller had contacted one of the QPR owners, Amit Bhatia, saying Gove had asked to be taken to the match. Jonny Meller inquired if they could pay to have seats in Bhatia’s box, explaining that it could be uncomfortable for Gove if they sat in a general area of the stadium due to public anger at the government’s handling of the pandemic.
Bhatia made his box available, waiving any payment for it, and Gove and David Meller went to the match with their sons and some other guests.
Gove’s spokesperson told the Guardian his failure to declare the two complimentary tickets he received was an “oversight”.
The spokesperson said: “Mr Gove is grateful to the Guardian for bringing this matter 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.
“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.”
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, all Conservatives, being investigated by the standards commissioner.
