A SENIOR Tory MP who was paid £200 an hour to work for a private company is being investigated for allegedly touting for NHS work on the firm’s behalf during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Steve Brine, MP for Winchester, is chairman of the House of Commons health and social care select committee.

From July 2020 to December 2021, Mr Brine was allegedly being paid £1,600 a month for eight hours work for Remedium, an agency which supplies staff to the NHS.

Mr Brine’s actions were revealed in one of the many Whatsapp messages made public during investigations into alleged bullying by former health secretary Matt Hancock.

In a message to former Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove in early 2021, Mr Brine wrote: “Long story short, I have been trying for months to help the NHS through a company I am connected with called Remedium.

“They have 50 anaesthetists right now who can be in the country and on the ground in the NHS if someone only said let us help.

“They just want to assist and asked me how they might.

“Despite offering this to the Department of Health and to [then NHS chief executive] Simon Stevens, I’ve had nothing despite telling the press conference last week this is an acute problem, despite the PM telling the liaison committee this is his biggest problem.

“How might I progress this or does the NHS just not need the help?”

The issue is being investigated by the parliamentary commissioner for standards Daniel Greenberg after being referred to him by Labour MP Anneliese Dodds.

Ms Dodds said that the “public are rightly sick of this constant slew of Conservative sleaze,” adding: “These are very serious allegations and the commissioner must be given space to thoroughly and independently investigate.”

Mr Brine was invited to comment.