Michael Gove


1967 -

Politician. Born in Edinburgh to an unmarried student mother who felt she had to give up her baby, Gove was adopted by a family in Aberdeen. He was educated at Robert Gordon's College and Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, becoming President of the Oxford Union. He embarked on a career as a journalist, training with the Press and Journal in Aberdeen. He also worked as a reporter on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme but joined The Times newspaper in 1996. Having been involved in student politics, Gove was elected as Conservative Member of Parliament for Surrey Heath in the South of England in the General Election of 2005. Having served in the shadow cabinet, Gove was appointed Secretary of State for Education in 2010. He has subsequently promulgated a series of radical reforms within the education system. He went on to serve as Chief Whip (2014-15) and Secretary of State for Justice (2015-16). He was a prominent campaigner for Britain's exit from the European Union, but was accused of treachery when he surprisingly stood against his fellow campaigner Boris Johnson for the leadership of the Conservative Party in days after the 'out' result in the European Referendum. He was unceremoniously sacked by the successful candidate Theresa May.

His books include a biography of Michael Portillo, The Future of the Right (1995) and a commentary on the peace process in Northern Ireland, The Price of Peace (2000), together with Celsius 7/7 (2006), an analysis of the roots of Islamic terrorism.


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