Matt Hancock is one of three MPs under investigation by the parliamentary standards commissioner, the watchdog has announced.
The former health secretary is facing an inquiry by Daniel Greenberg into: “Lobbying the commissioner in a manner calculated or intended to influence his consideration of whether a breach of the code of conduct has occurred.”
But a spokesperson for Hancock said the ex-cabinet minister was “shocked and surprised” by the move and that it was a “misunderstanding”.
Hancock was recently secretly filmed telling a fake overseas company his daily rate for consultancy would be £10,000.
While there is no accusation of wrongdoing, with MPs permitted to seek employment outside of parliament, Hancock faced sharp criticism for his actions.
Hancock’s spokesperson said: “Mr Hancock is shocked and surprised by the investigation.
“Far from lobbying the commissioner, Matt wrote to Mr Greenberg in good faith to offer some additional evidence that he thought was not only pertinent but helpful for an inquiry the parliamentary commissioner for standards is currently conducting.
“It’s clearly a misunderstanding and Matt looks forward to fully engaging with the Commissioner to clear this up.”
Scott Benton, the MP who lost the Tory party whip after being caught in a gambling lobbying sting, is facing an inquiry for his use of a parliamentary email address.
An undercover investigation for The Times found he was prepared to leak market sensitive information to a bogus investment fund and ask parliamentary question
Henry Smith, the Conservative MP for Crawley, also under investigation for for “use stationery provided from the public purse”.
Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, has said recent ethics scandals around Conservative MPs has shown “Tory sleaze is back”.
All three inquiries were launched on Tuesday, according to the commissioner’s official website. The MPs have been approached for comment.