MICHAEL GOVE helped his donor friend through the government’s fast-track VIP lane for personal protective equipment (PPE) contracts at the height of the pandemic, it was revealed today.

The housing, communities and local government secretary, who was then in charge of the government’s procurement policy, referred David Meller, owner of a beauty supplier company, through the elite system, according to a leaked list of 47 firms.

The company was subsequently awarded contracts worth almost £50 million.

Mr Meller helped to run Mr Gove’s leadership campaign in 2016 and donated £3,000 to him personally, and has also donated £60,000 to the Conservative Party.

In total, he was awarded £164m in contracts after he took part in a call with Lord Bethell and Lord Feldman, a lobbyist who was brought into government to work on contracts, and discussed PPE with Mr Gove and his office.

The Cabinet Office has blocked the release of the messages that were exchanged between the pair.

Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner said the revelation shows “just how engulfed in corruption this government is.”

She said: “Michael Gove stood up in Parliament and said that all contracts were awarded through the same process.

“He must have known that wasn’t true when he said it because he had already helped his mate gets tens of millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money.

“It is time this corrupt government published the full details of every PPE and testing contract awarded to companies with links to the Conservative Party so we can get to the bottom of the get-rich-quick scheme for Conservative donors and their mates.”