Government minister Michael Gove and wife Sarah to break up
Senior Government minister Michael Gove and his journalist wife Sarah Vine are to split after almost twenty years of marriage, a joint spokesman for the couple said.
The high-profile couple married in October 2001 but have decided to end their relationship and are "in the process of finalising their divorce".
Their spokesman said: "Michael and Sarah have agreed to separate and they are in the process of finalising their divorce.
"They will continue to support their two children and they remain close friends.
"The family politely ask for privacy at this time and will not be providing any further comment."
The announcement comes only days after Ms Vine, a columnist for the Daily Mail, wrote a piece about former health secretary Matt Hancock's resignation, and how
Westminster life can drive a wedge between partners.
A friend of the couple insisted the Gove-vine split was "entirely amicable", and that no third party was involved.
The friend said : "This is a difficult and sad decision for Michael and Sarah after 20 years of marriage.
"It is an entirely amicable separation and there is no-one else involved.
"They have drifted apart over the past couple of years but they remain friends. Their absolute priority is the children."
Chancellor of the Duchy of
Lancaster Mr Gove and Ms Vine, a former Times arts editor, first met in 1999 and married two years later.
The family are seen as well connected in the Conservative Party, with Ms Vine a godmother to one of former prime minister David Cameron's daughters.
Samantha Cameron and Ms Vine are reported to have later fallen out over Mr Gove's decision to campaign for Leave in the 2016 Brexit referendum, with the result leading to Mr Cameron's resignation from Downing Street.
Ms Vine has previously used her Sunday newspaper columns to touch on political issues.
In a column published this week, Ms Vine wrote about how Westminster "changes a person", referencing the split between Mr Hancock and his wife Martha following his affair with aide Gina Coladangelo.