How Gove and Johnson were forced to bury the 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 has formed a deadly Cabinet axis with the Foreign Secretary to strong-arm Theresa May into enacting their vision of Brexit.

The pair have been friends 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.

They looked set to take the double act into Downing Street, but then Mr Gove torpedoed Mr Johnson’s leadership hopes last year. He withdrew his support for Mr Johnson and announced he was running in his own right.

The move backfired, and appeared to have destroyed their friendship. But now they have buried the hatchet for fear of being accused of reneging on promises they made during the Brexit referendum campaign.