The British Medical Association has said it has received anecdotal evidence that some companies were flouting the code and pressuring people to take tests.
He vowed to "take action" if new evidence emerged of a breach of the code, but said that on the strength of the arguments he had heard so far he had concluded that a separate investigation into Mr Hunt's conduct would "duplicate" the inquiry and was "neither necessary nor right".
Nothing emerged to shake the prime minister's determination to stand by his culture secretary - this evening he has said his culture secretary did not break the ministerial code - but today's evidence and the latest in a series of Budget U-turns have shone a harsh light on the judgements made by the prime minister and his closest ally and adviser, the chancellor.