Sarah Vine lifts the lid on Gove’s Brexit negotiations: dinner with Evgeny Lebedev

Over the years David Cameron has faced much scrutiny over his close relationship with Rupert Murdoch — as well as News UK’s Rebekah Brooks. However as far as Mr S can remember, the Prime Minister never allowed Murdoch to sit in on important meetings with Cabinet members.

So Steerpike was interested to read Sarah Vine’s account in today’s Mail of a supper she and her husband Michael Gove attended at Boris Johnson’s house ahead of the pair backing Brexit. Also in attendance were Johnson’s wife Marina Wheeler and… Evgeny Lebedev, the owner of the Independent and the Evening Standard:

‘Now David would inevitably feel let down. Michael was between a rock and a hard place. Be true to himself and disappoint his friend; support the Prime Minister and betray his principles.

Thank goodness, then, for a bit of light relief in the shape of Boris Johnson, who a few weeks earlier had invited us to supper at his house in Islington.