Kemi Badenoch was reportedly not speaking to Michael Gove earlier this year. Photo: Hannah Mackay/AFP
Kemi Badenoch reportedly stopped talking to Michael Gove after he had an affair with one of her acquaintances.
Mr Gove had an affair with a woman who broke up with her husband, The Times reports. According to the report, the relationship has since ended.
Mr Gove and his wife, Daily Mail columnist Sarah Vine, separated in 2021 in what was said to be an amicable divorce. Friends said no one else was involved and the couple “separated”.
However, his relationship with the woman is said to have caused a “significant deterioration” in the skills development secretary's relationship with Ms Badenoch, a minister for business affairs.
Michael Gove and Sarah Vine split in 2021. Photo: Jack Taylor/Getty Images
The couple had not spoken on terms for a period earlier this year, The Times reports. They are said to now have a working relationship but are no longer close.
The two were previously political allies and Mr Gove supported Ms Badenoch when she stood for the Conservative Party leadership last summer .
Writing in The Sun after Boris Johnson sacked him in July, Mr Gove praised her: “focus, intelligence and no bullshit.”
Ms Badenoch is seen as a leading candidate to succeed Rishi Sunak as Tory leader, while Mr Gove oversees projects that set a potential new direction for Conservatism, such as reform of the tenancy system.
At last month's Conservative Party conference, Ms Badenoch described focusing on her leadership ambitions as a “problem”.
Mr Gove, who has carried out sweeping reforms across his departments including education, has pushed for legislation appealing to the centers, including a ban on evictions no-fault through the Tenants' Reform Bill.
While Mr Gove and Ms Badenoch are Brexiteers, she also described herself as a “classical liberal” and he advocated a more “proactive” state
Mr Gove declined to comment when contacted by The Telegraph.
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