A judge allowed a class A drug user to walk free from court after announcing he should “suffer no more for dabbling in cocaine” than Michael Gove.

Judge Owen Davies QC said the convicted criminal should not be punished more severely than the Tory leadership contender, who has admitted taking the drug at parties twenty years ago.

The defendant, who has not been named, was found guilty at Inner London Crown Court of class A possession, which carries a maximum prison sentence of seven years. But Judge Davies set him free with a conditional discharge, after suggesting: “He should suffer no more for dabbling in cocaine than should a former Lord Chancellor.”

It comes after Mr Gove revealed he had taken cocaine on several occasions in his thirties, later admitting he was "fortunate" to avoid prison.

The revelation sparked accusations of hypocrisy after it emerged he had previously written an article attacking “London’s liberal consensus” on drug laws. From 2015 to 2016 Mr Gove served as justice secretary and Lord Chancellor, overseeing the law of the land.