Michael Gove

The Right Honourable Michael Gove MP
Official portrait, 2022
Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities[n 1]
Incumbent
Assumed office 25 October 2022
Prime Minister	Rishi Sunak
Preceded by	Simon Clarke
In office 15 September 2021 – 6 July 2022
Prime Minister	Boris Johnson
Preceded by	Robert Jenrick
Succeeded by	Greg Clark
Minister for Intergovernmental Relations
Incumbent
Assumed office 25 October 2022
Prime Minister	Rishi Sunak
Preceded by	Nadhim Zahawi
In office 18 September 2021 – 6 July 2022
Prime Minister	Boris Johnson
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Nadhim Zahawi
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
In office 24 July 2019 – 15 September 2021
Prime Minister	Boris Johnson
Preceded by	David Lidington
Succeeded by	Steve Barclay
Minister for the Cabinet Office
In office 13 February 2020 – 15 September 2021
Prime Minister	Boris Johnson
Preceded by	Oliver Dowden
Succeeded by	Steve Barclay
Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
In office 11 June 2017 – 24 July 2019
Prime Minister	Theresa May
Preceded by	Andrea Leadsom
Succeeded by	Theresa Villiers
Secretary of State for Justice Lord Chancellor
In office 9 May 2015 – 14 July 2016
Prime Minister	David Cameron
Preceded by	Chris Grayling
Succeeded by	Liz Truss
Chief Whip of the House of Commons Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury
In office 15 July 2014 – 9 May 2015
Prime Minister	David Cameron
Preceded by	George Young
Succeeded by	Mark Harper
Secretary of State for Education
In office 12 May 2010 – 15 July 2014
Prime Minister	David Cameron
Preceded by	Ed Balls
Succeeded by	Nicky Morgan
Shadow portfolios 2005‍–‍2010 Shadow Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families In office 2 July 2007 – 11 May 2010 Leader David Cameron Preceded by David Willetts Succeeded by Ed Balls Shadow Minister for Housing and Planning In office 10 May 2005 – 2 July 2007 Leader Michael Howard David Cameron Preceded by John Hayes Succeeded by Grant Shapps
Member of Parliament for Surrey Heath
Incumbent
Assumed office 5 May 2005
Preceded by	Nick Hawkins
Majority	18,349 (31.3%)
Personal details
Born	Graeme Andrew Logan (1967-08-26) 26 August 1967 (age 56) Aberdeen, Scotland
Political party	Conservative
Other political affiliations	Labour (1983)
Spouse	Sarah Vine ​ ​ (m. 2001; div. 2022)​
Children	2
Education	Robert Gordon's College
Alma mater	Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford (BA)
Occupation	Politician journalist author
Signature
Website	michaelgove.com
Gove's voice From the BBC programme Start the Week, 30 December 2013[2]

Michael Andrew Gove (/ɡoʊv/; born Graeme Andrew Logan, 26 August 1967) is a British politician serving as Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and Minister for Intergovernmental Relations since October 2022, having previously held both offices from September 2021 to July 2022. He has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Surrey Heath since 2005.

A member of the Conservative Party, he has also served in various Cabinet positions under Prime Ministers David Cameron, Theresa May, Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak. Gove has twice run to become Leader of the Conservative Party, in 2016 and 2019, finishing in third place on both occasions. Apart from periods as a backbencher from July 2016 to June 2017 and July to October 2022, he has served continuously in the Cabinet since 2010.

Born in Aberdeen, Gove was in care until being adopted aged four months old, after which he was raised in the Kittybrewster area of the city. He attended the independent Robert Gordon's College and studied English at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford. He then began a career as a journalist at The Press and Journal before having a long tenure as a leader writer at The Times. Elected for Surrey Heath at the 2005 general election, he was appointed to the Shadow Cabinet by Cameron in 2007 as Shadow Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families.

Appointed Secretary of State for Education in the Cameron–Clegg coalition, Gove terminated the previous Labour government's Building Schools for the Future programme, reformed A-Level and GCSE qualifications in favour of final examinations, and responded to the Trojan Horse scandal. The National Association of Head Teachers, the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, the National Union of Teachers and the NASUWT passed motions of no confidence in his policies at their conferences in 2013. In the 2014 cabinet reshuffle he was moved to the post of chief whip. Following the 2015 general election and the formation of the majority Cameron government, Gove was promoted to Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor. As the co-convenor of Vote Leave, Gove was seen, along with Johnson, a fellow Conservative MP, as one of the most prominent figures of the 2016 referendum on EU membership. He was campaign manager for Johnson in the 2016 Conservative Party leadership election but withdrew his support on the morning Johnson was due to declare and announced his own candidacy, finishing third behind May and Andrea Leadsom.

Following May's appointment as prime minister, Gove was dismissed from the Cabinet but was appointed to the second May government as Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs following the 2017 general election. He launched a second Conservative leadership bid in 2019, coming third behind Johnson and Jeremy Hunt. Upon appointment of Johnson as prime minister, Gove was appointed Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, with responsibilities including preparations for a no-deal Brexit. He took on the additional role of minister for the Cabinet Office in the 2020 cabinet reshuffle. After the 2021 cabinet reshuffle he served as Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and Minister for Intergovernmental Relations until Gove told Johnson to resign during the July 2022 Government crisis and was dismissed by Johnson. Under Rishi Sunak, Gove was reinstated to his previous roles of Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and Minister for Intergovernmental Relations.

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