Boris Johnson warned he should stop listening to Michael Gove on matters involving Covid policy

Senior Conservatives have warned Boris Johnson that he should stop listening to Michael Gove on matters involving Covid policy.

There are concerns that the Secretary of State for Levelling Up has pushed too hard for restrictions in the past.

Both current and former Ministers labelled Gove as a “dangerous force”

One Conservative MP described Mr Gove as the ringleader of pro-lockdown Ministers, telling the Daily Mail: ‘There are a lot of my colleagues who think Mr Gove has become a very dangerous force within the Cabinet.’

Another Tory Cabinet Minister labelled him “the octopus” due to his nature of getting involved with matters of the government that do not always concern him

They said: “Gove makes him feel comfortable. Boris trusts him, and he think he’s the one who delivers

“Boris needs to stop listening to Gove. Never trust someone who has stabbed you in the back.

“Caesar killed everyone who crossed him but forgave Brutus – and Brutus killed him.”

It comes as the Prime Minister is due to be presented with the latest Covid data on Monday as he weighs up whether to impose fresh restrictions on England to stem the spread of the Omicron variant of coronavirus.

New measures have already come into force in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland but ministers have so far swerved dictating new rules to those in England, instead hoping warnings would encourage people to self-police their own behaviour and cut down on social contacts.

The Prime Minister is expected to be briefed by Chief Medical Officer for England Professor Chris Whitty – who is reportedly likely to receive a knighthood for his pandemic efforts – and Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance.

If the figures are positive, Mr Johnson could be persuaded to stick to lighter touch measures introduced under Plan B, potentially with some extra words of guidance.