Rishi Sunak's wife has a stake in a technology firm which was given nearly £350,000 in public cash, it has emerged.
Multi-millionaire Akshata Murty's investment company has shares in Study Hall - which was last year boosted by a grant of £349,976, official records show.
The PM is already embroiled in a standards probe about Ms Murty's shareholding in childcare firm Koru Kids. He has previously failed to mention her shareholding to MPs at a Liasion Committee session.
Today The Times reports that the latest revelation raises questions about her business interests and the potential for a perceived conflict of interest.
Study Hall - which Mrs Murty's investment company Catamaran Ventures UK Ltd - has a stake in, was awarded the cash through the Government-run Innovate UK.
The tech firm was set up to harness artificial intelligence (AI) in schools.
There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing, but there is an expectation of transparency on the PM and fellow ministers to "ensure that no conflict arises, or could reasonably be perceived to arise, between their public duties and their private interests, financial or otherwise”.
Labour leader Keir Starmer said: "I think there are questions to answer in relation to this.
"There seems to be an emerging pattern of behaviour here, so I think the sooner those questions are answered the better."
Its grant was awarded after Innovate UK was impressed with Study Hall's work developing software they believe could help close the attainment gap between poorer pupils and their wealthier counterparts.
A No10 spokeswoman said: "The interests published are those that the independent adviser judges to be relevant - or could be perceived to be relevant - to each minister’s specific role and responsibilities
"As set out in the document the Independent adviser has scrutinized the declarations made by all ministers and he is 'content that any actual, potential or perceived conflicts have been, or are in the process of being resolved'."
The funding body - which awards grants on the advice of independent business experts and academics - wrote: “The Covid-19 pandemic closed down schools, thereby disrupting learning and increasing the need for personalised learning platforms that improve transparency, efficacy and accountability of public education systems."
Filings at Companies House - which keeps publicly-available records of firms operating in the UK - show that in August last year Catamaran Ventures UK held 2,474 shares in Study Hall.
Last month the PM’s long-awaited list of ministerial interests was finally published after a probe was launched into whether he had broken the rules.
But the document did not include a detailed breakdown of the shareholdings owned by his heiress wife, Mrs Murty.
Mr Sunak is under investigation by Parliament's standards watchdog over claims he broke the MPs' code of conduct by not declaring his wife owns shares in a childcare firm that was boosted by a key policy in the Budget.
The document failed to shed full light on Ms Murty’s finances.
Under the section for relevant interests held by a spouse or close relative, Mr Sunak's entry included his wife's venture capital company Catamaran Ventures and unnamed "direct shareholdings".
Study Hall was one of nearly 4,000 companies to review a combined £2.3 billion of grants from Innovate UK in the past financial year.
The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards Daniel Greenberg opened the initial investigation on April 13. The investigation centres on shares Mrs Murty holds in agency Koru Kids, which had the potential to be boosted by funding from the Spring Budget.
He later extended his probe and is now also looking into whether Mr Sunak broke paragraph 13 of the code of conduct, which relates to disclosing details about one of his investigations.
The Mirror previously reported that Mr Sunak failed to mention Ms Murty's links to the company when he was questioned by MPs over why the private firms were set to benefit the most.
In the budget, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced a pilot of incentive payments of £600 for childminders joining the profession.
At a grilling by the liasion committee on why the sum doubles to £1,200 if workers sign up through an agency - including Koru Kids - Labour MP Catherine McKinnell asked if Mr Sunak had any interests to declare.
"No, all my disclosures are declared in the normal way," Mr Sunak said.
Downing Street has claimed rules were followed "to the letter", but critics said there are "serious questions" over benefits his family could get from Government actions.
Mr Greenberg opened an investigation into Mr Sunak into whether he broke paragraph six of the code of conduct: "Members must always be open and frank in declaring any relevant interest in any proceeding of the House or its Committees, and in any communications with Ministers, Members, public officials or public office holders."
He is now also looking at whether the PM broke paragraph 13: "Members must not disclose details in relation to: (i) any investigation by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards except when required by law to do so, or authorised by the Commissioner; nor (ii) the proceedings of the Committee on Standards or the Independent Expert Panel in relation to a complaint unless required by law to do so, or authorised by the Committee or the Panel respectively."
