MICHAEL Gove has insisted he now has the “conviction” to become prime minister and take Britain out of the EU as Sajid Javid, the Home Secretary, became the ninth Conservative to throw his hat in the ring to succeed Theresa May as Tory leader.
As the European elections’ result pressured candidates into pledging to deliver Brexit, deal or no deal, the Environment Secretary, explained how he had progressed as a politician and changed his mind about the top job; he once famously declared that he was "incapable" of being PM.
“I’ve evolved as a politician,” declared Mr Gove, “but, obviously, we’ll see in the next few days and weeks who people think has what it takes in what is a testing time for the country,” the Scot told BBC Radio 4’s Political Thinking podcast.
The 51-year-old Cabinet minister talked about his upbringing in Aberdeen, how he had “been blessed” by being adopted and how much he was indebted to his adoptive parents.
His father, who owned a fish processing business, blamed its demise on the EU. “It was seeing my dad’s dream die; the fishing industry has been devastated by the common fisheries policy. That did have an impact on me. It’s definitely a factor because I owe so much to my parents. I feel in politics I have to stay true to my roots and my background.”
Mr Gove sidestepped questions about a no-deal outcome, saying: “One of the things that I’ll be saying more about is how exactly we can make sure that we leave the EU. I don’t deny that it’s a significant challenge after everything that’s happened in the past three years. But throughout my career I have faced significant challenges.”
Mr Gove, who is said to have at least 50 backers in the Commons, received an early endorsement from Stephen Kerr, the Stirling MP, who described his colleague as the “unity candidate”.
“Michael was one of the principal leaders of the Leave campaign and he believes in Brexit and has an exciting vision of the future of our country outside of the European Union. He can unite the Conservative & Unionist Party in Parliament because he has supporters from right across the breadth of the Party,” argued Mr Kerr.
Describing his Scottish colleague as intelligent, articulate and from the centre ground of politics, he claimed the Secretary of State was “more than capable of taking on both Jeremy Corbyn and Nicola Sturgeon”.
“There is no stronger advocate for the United Kingdom than Michael Grove,” declared Mr Kerr. “As a Scot, he stands foursquare for the Union and against separatism but he also understands the need for our Union to be strengthened. He has ideas but he has the talent and the proven ability to turn those ideas into policies and to make it happen,” he added.
Mr Javid in declaring his candidacy said there was a need to "restore trust, bring unity and create new opportunities across the UK".
The 49-year-old son of a Pakistani bus driver became the first Home Secretary from an ethnic minority background when he was appointed in April 2018
He backed Remain in the referendum but has since positioned himself as a firm Leaver. He said: "First and foremost, we must deliver Brexit."
City minister John Glen, the MP for Salisbury, was quick to endorse Mr Javid’s candidacy, saying his colleagues was a “serious, strong and experienced candidate, who will reach beyond the Conservative Party's membership and deliver Brexit and an agenda that gives opportunity for all across the UK”.
Mr Javid and Mr Gove join seven other Tory MPs vying for the top job: Jeremy Hunt; Rory Stewart; Matt Hancock; Andrea Leadsom; Esther McVey; Dominic Raab and Boris Johnson, who is the favourite.
The new Tory leader is set to take over as PM by the end of July after Mrs May set out a timetable for her exit from Downing Street on Friday.
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