Michael Gove

British politician (born 1967)

Michael Andrew Gove (born 26 August 1967) is an British politician who was the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities from 2022 to 2024. In July 2019, he became the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster for the Boris Johnson administration. In February 2020, he became the Minister for the Cabinet Office. He retired from politics after the 2024 general election was called.


Michael Gove
Official portrait, 2022
Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities[a]
In office
25 October 2022 – 5 July 2024
Prime MinisterRishi Sunak
Preceded bySimon Clarke
Succeeded byAngela Rayner
In office
15 September 2021 – 6 July 2022
Prime MinisterBoris Johnson
Preceded byRobert Jenrick
Succeeded byGreg Clark
Minister for Intergovernmental Relations
In office
25 October 2022 – 5 July 2024
Prime MinisterRishi Sunak
Preceded byNadhim Zahawi
In office
18 September 2021 – 6 July 2022
Prime MinisterBoris Johnson
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byNadhim Zahawi
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
In office
24 July 2019 – 15 September 2021
Prime MinisterBoris Johnson
Preceded byDavid Lidington
Succeeded bySteve Barclay
Minister for the Cabinet Office
In office
13 February 2020 – 15 September 2021
Prime MinisterBoris Johnson
Preceded byOliver Dowden
Succeeded bySteve Barclay
Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
In office
11 June 2017 – 24 July 2019
Prime MinisterTheresa May
Preceded byAndrea Leadsom
Succeeded byTheresa Villiers
Secretary of State for Justice
Lord Chancellor
In office
9 May 2015 – 14 July 2016
Prime MinisterDavid Cameron
Preceded byChris Grayling
Succeeded byLiz Truss
Chief Whip of the House of Commons
Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury
In office
15 July 2014 – 9 May 2015
Prime MinisterDavid Cameron
Preceded byGeorge Young
Succeeded byMark Harper
Secretary of State for Education
In office
12 May 2010 – 15 July 2014
Prime MinisterDavid Cameron
Preceded byEd Balls
Succeeded byNicky Morgan
Shadow portfolios
2005‍–‍2010
Shadow Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families
In office
2 July 2007 – 11 May 2010
LeaderDavid Cameron
Preceded byDavid Willetts
Succeeded byEd Balls
Shadow Minister for Housing and Planning
In office
10 May 2005 – 2 July 2007
Leader
Preceded byJohn Hayes
Succeeded byGrant Shapps
Member of Parliament
for Surrey Heath
In office
5 May 2005 – 30 May 2024
Preceded byNick Hawkins
Succeeded byAl Pinkerton
Personal details
Born
Graeme Andrew Logan

(1967-08-26) 26 August 1967 (age 57)
Aberdeen, Scotland
Political partyConservative
Other political
affiliations
Labour (1983)
Spouse(s)
(m. 2001; div. 2022)
Children2
EducationRobert Gordon's College
Alma materLady Margaret Hall, Oxford (BA)
Occupation
  • Politician
  • journalist
  • author
Websitemichaelgove.com

Career

change

He was the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from 2017 to 2019 for the Theresa May ministry. He was the Shadow Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, and was the Secretary of State for Education from 12 May 2010 to 15 July 2014. He was the Member of Parliament for the Surrey Heath constituency in the United Kingdom. He was first elected in the 2005 general election.

He is a member of the Conservative Party. He was one of the candidates in the 2016 Conservative leadership election. After becoming Prime Minister, Theresa May fired Gove from the Cabinet.[3] However, in 2017 she brought him back and made him the Environment Secretary.

He grew up in Aberdeen.[4] He studied English at Lady Margaret Hall at Oxford University. Gove is married to Sarah Vine, a writer for The Times.[5] They have a daughter and son. He belongs to the Church of England[6]

On 26 May 2019, Gove announced his campaign to run for Leader of the Conservative Party in the 2019 election.[7] He narrowly lost in third place on the fifth ballot and was eliminated on 20 June.

In July 2022, Gove was fired from the Johnson cabinet by Prime Minister Boris Johnson after Gove told him he should resign as Prime Minister.

Personal life

change

Gove is a Queens Park Rangers F.C supporter.

Bibliography

change
  • Michael Portillo: The Future of the Right (1995) ISBN 1-85702-335-8
  • The Price of Peace (2000) ISBN 1-903219-15-9
  • A Blue Tomorrow – New Visions for Modern Conservatives (2001) (ed. with Edward Vaizey and Nicholas Boles) ISBN 1-84275-027-5
  • Celsius 7/7 (2006) ISBN 0-297-85146-2

References

change
  1. "Ambitious plans to drive levelling up agenda". gov.uk.
  2. "Michael Gove on teaching history". BBC Radio 4.
  3. "Theresa May's cabinet: Who's in and who's out?". BBC News. 14 July 2016. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  4. "Teenage Michael Gove supported Labour" Archived 2010-05-24 at the Wayback Machine The Telegraph, 16 May 2010
  5. "Michael Gove". The Conservative Party. Archived from the original on 6 November 2013. Retrieved 8 May 2010.
  6. "While Blair converts to Catholicism, only 8 ministers say they believe in God". Daily Mail. London. 22 December 2007. Retrieved 23 November 2010.
  7. "Tory leadership: Gove becomes eighth candidate to enter race". BBC. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
  1. Known as Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government until 19 September 2021.[1]