Why is Michael Gove a minister for the Today programme when he was removed as Education Secretary because of his poor poll ratings? This paradox has amused some in Westminster, but it’s not quite as confusing as it seems.
I hear that the new chief whip and enhanced Conservative campaigner will not be given quite such a free rein as it might seem. Indeed, those at the centre of the party are acutely aware of the dangers of sending out a man who already likes to have his say on many things that had nothing to do with education. They think that by bringing him into the centre, they can better control his outbursts. They could always lock him in a toilet when matters of foreign policy come up: today in the Commons Angela Eagle teased Gove for becoming stuck in the loo in the wrong division lobby on his first full day as chief whip while a vote was taking place.
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