How Boris and Gove buried hatchet
THE joint letter shows how the on-off Brexit bromance between Michael Gove and Boris Johnson has been rekindled by shared ambition.
Mr Gove, the man who spectacularly torpedoed Mr Johnson’s leadership hopes last year, has formed a deadly Cabinet axis with the Foreign Secretary to strongarm Theresa May into enacting their vision of Brexit.
The pair, contemporaries at Oxford, have been friends, through journalism and politics, for decades. But it was when they met at Mr Johnson’s home in February 2016 for a secret dinner – revealed by The Mail on Sunday – that they agreed the explosive political pact which led to Britain severing its ties with the EU.
The combination of Mr Gove’s brains and Mr Johnson’s campaigning flair propelled the Leave campaign to victory in the referendum later that year. They looked set to take the double act into Downing Street, with Mr Gove backing Mr Johnson for leader following Mr Cameron’s resignation.
But hours before the deadline closed for candidates, Mr Gove withdrew his support and announced he was running in his own right, killing Mr Johnson’s hopes in the process. The move backfired, and appeared to have destroyed their friendship for good. Now, despite the mutual wariness of their respective entourages, they have buried the hatchet for fear of being accused of reneging on promises they made during the campaign.
The first public sign of their rapprochement came after Mr Johnson published his 4,000word ‘Brexit manifesto’ in September, with Mr Gove making supportive remarks.
They have calculated that they are stronger together than they are apart.