I apologized to Boris Johnson for 'stabbing' the leadership, says Michael Gove

Michael Gove and Boris Johnson were key figures in the Vote Leave campaign. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/AFP/Getty Images

Michael Gove has said he apologized to Boris Johnson “long ago” for their fallout during the Tory leadership fight in 2016.

Mr Johnson ultimately eventually dropped out of the race to succeed David Cameron following the Brexit vote following Mr Gove. withdrew support and launched his own, ultimately unsuccessful campaign.

The two were key figures in the Vote Leave campaign, speaking at rallies together and challenging Mr Cameron to support Brexit. European Union.

However, Mr Gove had announced he was running for the top job himself just hours earlier. Mr Johnson was about to launch his election campaign and then publicly criticized his rival.

In an interview with GB News' Camilla Tominey show on the first day of the Conservative Party's annual conference, Mr Gove, now Skills Secretary, said : “I enjoyed working with Boris.

“We all know that Boris is a politician with enormous talent, but also, you know, he made some mistakes and we all know what happened as a result of that. I had the opportunity to talk to him at a social event a while back, but he's a private person now, so it's a private conversation.»

When asked if he apologized for «stabbing» Mr. on Johnson. he told the GB News programme: «I think it's been a long time coming, yes.»

Boris Johnson has appointed Michael Gove Secretary for Leveling Up in September 2021. Photo: Oli Scarff/WPA Pool

They would later be reunited around the Cabinet table when Mr Johnson appointed Mr Gove as Minister for Leveling Up, Housing and Communities in September 2021.

It was a sign of a significant improvement in relations: a promise from the then PM Minister to «unite and level up» the country meant that this role became one of the most important positions in his administration.

However, things deteriorated again last summer in the final days of Johnson's premiership, when Gove unsuccessfully urged him to resign on the morning of 6 July. Johnson then fired him over the phone around 9:15 p.m., with allies comparing him to him. to the «snake».

In the interview, Mr Gove also said leveling up included «a lot more things» than HS2, as he repeatedly refused to comment on suggestions that the Manchester to Manchester section of the railway Birmingham could be destroyed by Rishi Sunak as early as this week.

“Firstly, work on HS2 is still ongoing at the moment,” he said. “Secondly, I can’t speculate. The most important thing for us is to get value for money for every pound we spend on transport.

“I absolutely think the most important thing is to make sure we consider all factors when we level up. what do we need to do. We've changed Arts Council funding, we've changed research and development funding.

“We'll have to look at every conceivable pound we spend on transport to make sure we're getting value for money.”

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Mr Gove, one of the staunchest supporters of Covid restrictions during all three lockdowns, said: “I do think the lockdown was absolutely necessary to prevent the spread of the virus. virus.

“But I also think we can look back and learn lessons for the future, and I think the most painful and difficult area has been the school closures.” To the question: “Do you regret your belligerence?”, he answered: “No.”