Michael Gove, the former justice secretary and prominent Leave campaigner, appears to have held a personal meeting with the US president-elect, Donald Trump, and written about it for the Times.
Gove, who has a regular column with the newspaper he worked for before being elected as MP for Surrey Heath, was co-chair of the campaign group Vote Leave, and his decision to stand for the Conservative leadership scuppered the hopes of Boris Johnson.
News that the pair have met for an interview that will appear in the Times newspaper today is likely to spark irritation at No 10, which has been carefully laying the groundwork for the prime minister to travel to Washington to visit the new president, perhaps as soon as next month.
May sacked Gove, alongside longtime allies including George Osborne, in the radical reshuffle she carried out when she became prime minister last July.
Britain’s relationship with the US is likely to be crucial as May’s government prepares for life outside the EU. Trump has suggested he would be keen to strike a trade deal with the UK, in striking contest to Barack Obama, who said during the referendum campaign that Britain would be at “the back of the queue” if it voted for Brexit.
Boris Johnson, the foreign secretary, has already held meetings with key members of Trump’s transition team in Washington, and May’s two closest advisers, Fiona Hill and Nick Timothy, have also visited. Trump’s intervention comes as the prime minister prepares to set out more clearly her aims in the Brexit negotiations, in a major speech tomorrow.
Gove is known to be close to Rupert Murdoch, and news that he has secured an interview will spark speculation that it was brokered by the media magnate, whose Fox News network gave favourable coverage to Trump’s campaign. Asked about the interview, one No 10 insider said it “sounds like a good read”.
Gove: scores over prime minister.
