Tory MP Steve Brine faces lobbying questions after Hancock message leak

Chair of health committee was said to have tried to persuade the NHS to hire anaesthetists through firm he worked for

A senior Conservative MP has been urged to stand down as chair of parliament’s health select committee after a leak of text messages exchanged with Matt Hancock sparked questions about whether he broke lobbying rules.

According to the leaked messages from 2021, Steve Brine, a former health minister, said had been “trying for months” during the Covid pandemic to liaise with the NHS to hire anaesthetists through a recruitment company he worked for.