Bureauc-rat attack: Rodent control called out five times a day by government departments November 5, 2018 Rat-catchers have been called to government buildings an average of five times a day since 2014, City A.M. can reveal. Michael Gove’s department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has spent the most money trying to get vermin under control, with Defra forking out £740,000 on pest controllers, according to figures released after a [...]
Boris Johnson’s team denies ‘stitch up’ of Michael Gove June 20, 2019 Boris Johnson is facing Jeremy Hunt in the final stage in race to become Prime Minister after a brutal day in Westminster. Michael Gove lost out on reaching the final two in the contest by just two votes – winning the support of 75 MPs compared to Hunt’s 77. Johnson topped the poll with 160 [...]
Johnson’s critics will be confounded by the new PM’s liberalism July 26, 2019 There’s a good chance that things will go badly for Boris. He barely has a majority, his party is divided and MPs from across the house are priming their parliamentary grenades to thwart and disrupt him. On the other hand, it is at least possible that he gets a Brexit deal passed and triggers what [...]
Gove ‘to offer free British passports’ to 3m EU nationals living in UK at time of Brexit vote May 27, 2019 Environment secretary Michael Gove will pledge next week to offer free British passports to the 3m EU nationals who were living in the UK at the time of the Brexit referendum in 2016. The pledge underlines Gove’s entry into the race to replace Prime Minister Theresa May later this summer after she steps down next [...]
Exclusive: Outsourcers told Michael Gove no-deal Brexit planning is stalling industry October 10, 2019 Whitehall has come under pressure from some of its most prominent public service providers for slow decision-making, as time and resources are increasingly directed towards no-deal Brexit planning. Three sources with knowledge of the matter told City A.M. that de facto no-deal Brexit secretary Michael Gove has been urged to “get a move on” so [...]
Labour pushes for parliament recall after Operation Yellowhammer sheds light on no-deal Brexit September 12, 2019 Labour has urged Prime Minister Boris Johnson to recall parliament after the release of Operation Yellowhammer documents the party said showed “severe risks” of a no-deal Brexit. MPs voted to force Johnson’s government to release the document before he prorogued parliament earlier this week until 14 October. Read more: Yellowhammer: Government’s no-deal Brexit documents revealed [...]
Free schools show how hard it can be to battle the Blob August 13, 2019 It was Michael Gove who popularised the term “the Blob” to describe the establishment forces battling his education reforms. It’s such a perfect description, because it captures the experience of anyone who tries to change the system – a constant, oozing pressure, flowing around your positions until they’re completely swallowed up. Another education minister, George [...]
Friends, then rivals: Boris Johnson has the last laugh over Michael Gove June 20, 2019 First they were friends, then they were rivals, and now, Johnson is the victor. The lives of Boris Johnson and Michael Gove ran parallel for many years, before becoming intertwined during the EU referendum and split apart by an act of betrayal in the 2016 leadership contest. Johnson has now got his revenge for Gove [...]
Johnson and Hunt emerge as frontrunners in race for Number 10 June 10, 2019 Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt have emerged as the frontrunners in the race to replace Theresa May as Tory leader. Johnson is currently favourite to succeed May, but Hunt has emerged as his main challenger with two senior cabinet colleagues coming out to back his bid today. Defence secretary Penny Mordaunt, a convinced Brexiter, and [...]
Introducing the new cast and crew of Downing Street August 7, 2019 The dust is beginning to settle: Boris Johnson is Prime Minister, and the Whitehall machine has been stripped and restaffed. A new team has been installed to run his Downing Street operation – but who are they, and what does it mean? Even the Prime Minister’s most vocal advocates would not describe him as a [...]