“The nature of our preparation was for a flu pandemic,” he told the inquiry.

But Mr Gove, who was chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster during the pandemic, extraordinarily went on to suggest the virus may have been man-made.

The veteran minister said: “It turned out that we were not as well prepared as we should have been, ideally.

“The nature of the fact the virus was novel … and this probably goes beyond the remit of the inquiry, but there is a significant body of judgment that believes the virus itself was man-made.

“And that presents a set of challenges as well.”

Mr Gove was reprimanded by the Covid inquiry’s lead counsel, Hugo Keith KC, who said it was not the place to discuss the matter.

He said: “It forms no part of the terms of reference of this inquiry Mr Gove, to address that somewhat divisive i