Gove on edge after rejecting new job (original) (raw)

Michael Gove delivered his ultimatum to Theresa May in Downing Street 15 minutes before she was due to face the cameras.

The environment secretary was being primed to replace Dominic Raab, the Brexit secretary who quit yesterday morning. The prime minister’s aides booked the meeting in a sign that they expected it to end in mutual agreement.

It was not to be. The meeting overran badly after Mr Gove said that he would take the job only if Mrs May renegotiated the divorce deal and cancelled the special EU summit on November 25.

Mrs May turned up 25 minutes late to the press conference, with the media wondering why she looked more wooden than normal. In truth, she was unnerved because yet another cornerstone of her Brexit plan had gone awry with Mr Gove on the brink of resigning.

For No 10 he was the obvious choice to succeed Mr Raab. It had been clear that Mrs May’s second Brexit secretary would resign and Mr Gove had been considered by some ministers as the most loyal Brexiteer at the five-hour cabinet meeting on Wednesday, backing Mrs May’s deal albeit “with a heavy heart”. It is thought, though, that he was still wrestling with whether he could remain in the cabinet.

Yesterday Mr Gove consulted extensively with friends and allies by phone from his house in Earls Court, west London. Weighing heavily on his mind was the fate of Mr Raab and his predecessor as Brexit secretary, David Davis, who were both cut out of key decisions by No 10 and Mrs May’s Europe unit.

Mr Gove has been worried that the “backstop” would leave Britain with a weak negotiating hand after Brexit and wanted it gone. He concluded late yesterday morning that he was unwilling to accept the job unconditionally.

Mr Gove, 51, arrived at No 10 without being spotted by waiting journalists, suggesting that he came through the Cabinet Office or one of the side entrances. He delivered his demands but was rebuffed by Mrs May, who said she had no intention of renegotiating her deal. He emerged with his future in doubt and Mrs May without a Brexit secretary. Neither party was happy, with Mr Gove uncertain even whether to continue as environment secretary.

Many around Mr Gove expect him to quit by the end of the weekend. Friends said that he was in a “tortured” position, having rejected a deal that he had reluctantly endorsed the day before.

The Vote Leave veteran wants to make Brexit happen but believes the consequence of “no deal” could be disastrous. Some friends also believe that his wife, Sarah Vine, is not enthusiastic about him resigning and pointed to tweets she sent on Wednesday implicitly backing Mrs May’s deal. “Michael finds himself in these situations where he’s pulled in conflicting directions,” an ally said. “It’s clear he doesn’t enjoy the moment.”

Asked on LBC radio this morning whether she had spoken to Mr Gove about his future in the government, Mrs May said: “I had a very good conversation with Michael yesterday actually.”

The prime minister said she had discussed the fishing industry with Mr Gove but, asked whether she had offered him the job of Brexit secretary, she replied: “I don’t talk about things to do with the cabinet reshuffle.

“I haven’t appointed a new Brexit secretary yet, but obviously I will be doing that over the course of the next day or so.”

Mrs May was asked if it would be wise for people to place bets on Mr Gove getting the job. She told the presenter Nick Ferrari: “I’ve always made it a sort of rule in my life that I don’t bet on anything to do with politics. I would advise you not to either.”

Penny Mordaunt, the international development secretary and another cabinet member who was on the brink after Tuesday, met Mrs May after the press conference yesterday at about 6pm. She made the case once more for a free vote to the prime minister and Sir Mark Sedwill, the cabinet secretary, as well as having a “general discussion about everything”. She left No 10 without the commitment she was seeking but apparently without a definitive rejection either. “The idea of a free vote is gaining traction among MPs and junior ministers,” a friend said.

However, Mrs May this morning appeared to rule out the possibility of a free vote on the deal. “There is cabinet collective responsibility in this country. Government policy is government policy,” she said.

Rumours of the potential departures of Chris Grayling, the transport secretary, and Liam Fox, the trade secretary, proved unfounded, for now.