shock as gove is brought back into the cabinet
MICHAEL Gove made a sensational return to the Tory frontbench last night when Theresa May gave him a Cabinet role.
The former Education Secretary said he was “surprised” but also “delighted” by the offer of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs brief in Mrs May’s new team.
He told Sky News: “I was quite surprised. I genuinely didn’t expect this role. “I am delighted to be part of the government, I am delighted to be able to support Theresa to ensure we have a government capable of delivering on the people’s wishes.”
Mr Gove’s appointment was seen as a bid to bring in more Tory talent and strengthen the Government’s Brexit credentials by recruiting a star of last year’s Vote Leave offensive.
But his return raises the possibility of friction with Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, whose party leadership hopes he scuppered last year.
Mr Gove dramatically walked out of Mr Johnson’s team hours before the leadership campaign launch and claimed his former friend was not up to the job of being prime minister. However, last night Mr Johnson tweeted his congratulations to Mr Gove. He wrote: “It’s a GOVErnment of all the talents. Welcome back to Michael!”
Mr Gove also had a furious row with Mrs May over counter terrorism policy when she was Home Secretary and he was running the Ministry of Justice. She abruptly sacked him on becoming Prime Minister last year. Mrs May also promoted another Vote Leave star by moving Andrea Leadsom from the Environment department to the role of Commons leader.
It marked an olive branch to Mrs Leadsom after their ill-tempered leadership contest. She enraged Mrs May by claiming the experience of motherhood made her a better politician, drawing attention to her rival’s lack of children.
Downing Street officials said Mr Gove and Mrs Leadsom had been given key Brexit jobs because of their firm backing for leaving the EU. The new Commons leader will have a tough job overseeing Commons business including Brexit legislation in a hung parliament while Mr Gove will be in charge of unravelling decades of Brussels environmental red tape.
Mrs May also appointed her close ally Damian Green as her “deputy” in a bid to shore up her embattled position in Downing Street. She gave him the role of First Secretary of State and put him in charge of the Cabinet Office. Insiders say Mr Green will have a vital role keeping Mrs May in touch with party opinion.
It was also one of the few moves in a reshuffle that left her Cabinet team virtually unchanged since before last week’s disastrous general election.
Mrs May kept Mr Johnson as Foreign Secretary, Chancellor Philip Hammond, Home Secretary Amber Rudd and EU Exit Secretary David Davis in their posts. A Downing Street source said: “This is a Cabinet put together to deliver Brexit.”