ASHTON and Failsworth MP Angela Rayner has demanded an immediate investigation into Michael Gove’s conduct.

In a letter sent to the Prime Minister on Wednesday, Ms Rayner urged Boris Johnson to investigate whether the cabinet minister had breached the ministerial code.

It comes after a court concluded Mr Gove had acted unlawfully in awarding a contract to Public First worth £564,393.

At the Royal Court of Justice, Mrs Justice O’Farrell, said the decision by the Cabinet Office to appoint marketing firm Public First “gave rise to apparent bias and was unlawful”.

Campaigners had taken legal action against Mr Gove over the decision to pay more than £500,000 of taxpayers’ money to market research firm Public First, following the start of the coronavirus crisis in March 2020, and questioned the involvement of Mr Cummings.

Ms Rayner has slammed the government for paying lawyers £230 an hour to defend their actions while offering schoolchildren just £1 a week to catch up after coronavirus.

She said: “How can it be right that the government are happy to pay their top lawyer £230 an hour while the 84,000 schoolchildren across Oldham and Tameside get just £1 a week to make up for everything they have missed out on due to coronavirus?

“I've demanded that Boris Johnson recoups the taxpayers' money that a judge ruled was unlawfully given out to Tory mates.”