Jeremy Hunt has deleted a social media post showing his wife Lucia voting.
The Chancellor, who is fighting to cling on in Godalming & Ash, removed the picture amid concerns it could have broken electoral law.
It showed Lucia casting a postal vote in the kitchen of their home, and was reportedly accompanied by the caption: ‘Marriage safe… got the wife’s vote.’
However, Mr Hunt deleted the post hours later as X users pointed to guidance from the Electoral Commission.
The watchdog said in a statement to the Telegraph: ‘A postal voter may take a picture of their own postal ballot paper and publicise it (including via social media).
‘However, while the postal voter themselves may publicise the information, if someone else persuades or induces them to make this information available, they may be committing an offence.
‘Obtaining and sharing information of how someone has voted can also be an offence in certain circumstances. The law on secrecy requirements is enforced by the police rather than the Commission.’
A spokesman for Mr Hunt refused to comment, but it is understood CCHQ advised that the message was not illegal but would be safer to delete.
It is not the first time Mr Hunt has ended up in hot water over his spouse.
In 2018 he inadvertently referred to his wife, who is Chinese, as ‘Japanese’.
And at the Autumn Statement in November he admitted he had been too busy to buy her a birthday card or present.
Mr Hunt is facing a tight race in Surrey, with some MRP polls suggesting that he will lose to the Lib Dems.
That would make him the first sitting Chancellor to fail to be reelected to the Commons.