Caretaker? It’s ‘cordite Gove’ vs the bank manager
AFTER Michael Gove made a barnstorming Commons speech two months ago, utterly destroying Jeremy Corbyn’s claim that he could be a competent Prime Minister, he received an unexpected congratulatory message.
It was a text from David Cameron who praised the Environment Secretary for the ‘best speech of his parliamentary career’. The message was unexpected because the former Tory prime minister had hardly uttered a civil word to Gove, once a close friend, since he joined the Leave side in the 2016 referendum.
Since Gove’s excoriating analysis of Corbyn’s shortcomings, there has been serious talk among Tory MPs that he should be installed as a caretaker Prime Minister if Theresa May loses the confidence of her Cabinet. And the rumour machine about Gove doing just that has now gone into overdrive with a number of Cabinet ministers making no secret of their wish for him to be installed as a transitional PM.
But he’s not the only one. There has also been persistent talk about David Lidington, the Cabinet Office minister and de facto deputy Prime Minister, stepping in.
So who would it be if Theresa May fell? And what would the implications be?
Lidington’s influence behind the scenes cannot be overstated. He chairs ten Cabinet committees including three related to Brexit.
Unlike Gove, Lidington has never expressed any interest in the top job or given any indication that he would run for it not least because he doesn’t have any significant supporters – or enemies – among Tory backbenchers.
‘He’s got no enemies because he’s never been seen as a threat,’ said one influential Tory last night.
EVEN if he did step in as a transitional PM, Lidington would be unlikely to take part in a subsequent leadership election, making him more palatable as a caretaker to more ambitious long-term contenders such as Boris Johnson.
Almost on cue, Lidington said yesterday: ‘If there’s one thing working closely with the Prime Minister does, it’s to cure you completely of any lingering shred of ambition to want to do that task.’
While Gove’s installation as stand- in PM might alarm Remainers, the idea of Lidington taking over would equally upset the Brexiteers. An ardent Europhile, he was appalled by the referendum result. He has a long pedigree as an EU cheerleader. He served as Minister for Europe, clocking up a record six years until the referendum in 2016. In his Resignation Honours list, Cameron made Lidington a CBE for services to Europe.
If brains count for anything, Lidington, 62, the MP for Aylesbury since 1992, should be heading for Number 10. He not only captained his Cambridge University college Sidney Sussex to victory in University Challenge in 1978, he also made history by leading them to victory again in University Challenge Reunited in 2002.
The huge winning margin of 375-185 over 1968 winners Keele left Jeremy Paxman, the question master, speechless in admiration. Stephen Fry, presenting the winning trophy, hailed Lidington as ‘now the second most famous MP from Sidney Sussex, after Oliver Cromwell’. While Lidington has been an MP longer than Oxford-educated Gove, 51, the latter has more heavyweight ministerial experience.
He joined the Cabinet in 2010 as Education Secretary, he’s served as Justice Secretary, the Chief Whip and is now Environment Secretary.
Lidington, in contrast, joined the Cabinet in 2016 as Leader of the Commons and was briefly Justice Secretary before becoming Cabinet Office minister in January 2018.
In the most recent ConservativeHome league table of who party members want to be the next leader Gove had moved into third place behind former foreign secretary Johnson and former Brexit secretary Dominic Raab. Lidington was in 18th place.
The bookmakers, however, who often call political contests better than the opinion pollsters, have now cut the odds on Gove, making him 5-1 joint favourite with Boris. If Gove moved temporarily into 10 Downing Street it would mark an extraordinary political comeback.
His career was at a low ebb after he dramatically withdrew support from Boris in the 2016 Tory leadership contest only hours before he was due to make his opening speech. Sacked in the first May reshuffle and bluntly told to learn about loyalty, he was brought back into the Cabinet one year later.
Since his return Gove has been a loyal and articulate advocate of May’s withdrawal deal, even though in private he has expressed serious misgivings.
As speculation intensifies over the threat to May, the Remainers backing Lidington argue that he will be seen as a ‘steady bank manager figure’ who will unite the party.
GOVE they argue is the opposite. A brilliant orator, with impeccable Brexit credentials, but a man who has the potential for explosive misjudgements such as his knifing of Johnson. ‘Cordite versus the bank manager,’ said one commentator last night.
If Lidington becomes caretaker, Boris will still have high hopes of being the next elected Tory leader.
If Gove crosses the threshold of Number 10 he would have a three-month trial run to demonstrate whether he’s up to it or not.
It may be then that Boris could never prise Gove out of the job he so covets – and believes he was cheated of by Gove three years ago.