Meetings between West Suffolk MP Matt Hancock and Uber lobbyists, as the firm sought to expand in London, are facing scrutiny after documents were leaked.

According to documents disclosed to the BBC and The Guardian, lobbyists for the ride-sharing app company met then-chancellor George Osborne and other ministers.

The “undeclared” meetings took place after Boris Johnson, as mayor of London, had promised to launch a review that could have limited Uber’s expansion in the capital. The review was later dropped.

The meetings happened between 2014 and 2016, it is reported, as Uber lobbied ministers to influence London’s transport policy.

One meeting with Mr Hancock was held inside 10 Downing Street, the report claims. On the same day, Uber officials met Sajid Javid, then minister for culture, media and sport, and the prime minister, David Cameron.

According to the BBC, the leaked files revealed that Mr Hancock later met Uber officials over dinner.

A spokesman for Mr Hancock said: "It was the policy of the government – quite rightly – to attract tech companies to the UK. All the efforts Matt undertook in pursuit of that were above board and declared properly."

Mr Hancock had previously tweeted his support of the ride-hailing app during the London black cab strike in 2014. However, a spokesman said Mr Hancock had not been afraid to criticise Uber and other tech firms when necessary.

Ministers insist rules were followed, the BBC said.

Mr Osborne’s spokesman said: “The premise of this investigation is wrong.

“Far from being secret, it was the explicit and publicly-announced policy of the coalition government to meet with global tech businesses, persuade them to invest in Britain and create jobs here.

“It was a policy that made the UK the tech capital of Europe.

“All business meetings where policy affecting individual companies was discussed were properly declared – something no previous administration did.

“While the government inherited from its predecessors a tax code that meant the tech companies paid little tax, it was George Osborne as chancellor who – with Germany – initiated the international OECD negotiations to change that, a process which led to the widely welcomed global agreement last year.”

The documents reportedly also show extensive lobbying of other European politicians, including French President Emmanuel Macron in August 2014 when he was minister for the economy, and ex-EU commissioner Neelie Kroes.

Undeclared meetings with lobbyists expose loopholes in ministerial code, campaigners say.

An Uber spokeswoman said: “Engaging with policymakers is standard practice for businesses, and Uber fulfils all of its obligations to disclose its lobbying when required to do so.

“In turn, it is the responsibility of elected officials to disclose meetings when they are required to do so.”