Labour has accused Health Secretary Sajid Javid of breaking the ministerial code over shares in a US healthcare firm.
Before becoming Health Secretary, Mr Javid was paid £150,000 a year as an advisor for healthcare Artificial Intelligence (AI) firm c3.ai.
His payment package also included share options for 666.7 shares per month - which had a market value of £45,000 at the time he declared them in November 2020.
While he stood down from the job when he became Health Secretary, he retained the share options, according to the Register of Members' Interests.
But in September, Mr Javid gave a speech announcing the use of AI in the NHS would reduce waiting lists for patients.
Deputy Labour Leader Angela Rayner today wrote to Lord Geidt, the Prime Minister's advisor on ethics, to ask whether this constitutes a conflict of interests.
She wrote: "In September, the secretary of state’s department announced that the use of AI would shorten waiting lists in our NHS,” she wrote, suggesting the idea the Department of Health could spend taxpayers’ money on AI “could clearly be perceived as beneficial to an AI company”.
The Ministerial Code states ministers must “scrupulously avoid any danger of an actual or perceived conflict of interest between their ministerial position and their private financial interest”.
Asked if Mr Javid should divest his shares, a Number 10 spokesperson said: "I obviously wouldn’t get into individual cases but the ministerial code is clear. I haven’t seen those specific comments or that particular story.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokeswoman said: "The Secretary of State has acted in line with the ministerial code and has properly declared these share options in the usual way."
A source close to Mr Javid added that the Health Secretary started the process of divesting the shares when he re-entered the Cabinet but could not say when the process would be complete.
Mr Javid's appointment to the role was unexpected, coming after Matt Hancock resigned after footage emerged of him kissing an aide in his departmental office, in breach of coronavirus -1>coronavirus rules.
