The High Court has ruled Michael Gove broke the law over the UK Government handing a contract to friends of the Prime Minister’s former aide Dominic Cummings.

Campaigners took legal action against the Cabinet Office over the decision to pay more than £500,000 of taxpayers’ money to market research firm Public First.

Lawyers from the Good Law Project accused the then-chief adviser to the Prime Minister, Mr Cummings of wanting work to be given to a company whose bosses were his friends.

Delivering her judgement, Justice O’Farrell said: “The fair-minded and informed observer would have appreciated that it was vital that the results and conclusions from the research were reliable and that Mr Cummings was uniquely placed, given his experience and expertise, to form a rapid view on which organisation might best be able to deliver those urgent requirements.

High Court rules Michael Gove broke law over Government contract going to friends of Dominic Cummings