A Daily Mail investigation revealed:
Miss Patel lobbied Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove in April last year over a £20million contract for surgical masks for Pharmaceuticals Direct Ltd (PDL) after an approach from her former adviser Samir Jassal;
Her efforts failed after Health Secretary Matt Hancock decided the masks were 'not suitable for the NHS';
Weeks later the firm was awarded a no-bid, no-competition deal worth £102.6million to supply a better type of mask;
The Home Secretary made no declaration about Mr Jassal's approach, or mention his links to PDL;
Mr Jassal, a two-time parliamentary candidate and Tory councillor in Kent, played a key role in negotiating the more lucrative deal, with the masks priced at almost twice the Government's 'benchmark' rate;