Michael Gove 'urged Boris Johnson to resign in meeting before PMQs' as pressure mounts on Tory leader

Michael Gove 'urged Boris Johnson to resign in meeting before PMQs' as pressure mounts on Tory leader
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Anna Fox

By Anna Fox


Published: 06/07/2022

- 15:40

Updated: 14/02/2023

- 10:52

In a meeting at Downing Street this morning, Michael Gove reportedly told the Prime Minister to stand down

Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Michael Gove, has reportedly told the Prime Minister "it's time to go", following his handling of the Chris Pincher scandal.

At a meeting this morning, Mr Gove aided the Prime Minister's preparations for PMQs, but was refrained from assuming his front bench position as he faced MPs at noon.


Mr Gove allegedly urged the Prime Minister he should quit in a meeting earlier today, with sources confirming the Housing Secretary ramped the pressure up against the Prime Minister.

He is allegedly still working in his Whitehall department, and does not plan on leading a wider delegation of ministers to Mr Johnson.

Micheal Gove has urged the Prime Minister to resign this morning
Micheal Gove has urged the Prime Minister to resign this morning
Danny Lawson

A spokesman for Mr Gove has not disputed this, the Mail reports.

Mr Gove has been a notable critic of the Prime Minister, stabbing him in the back in 2016, when he withdrew his support for Mr Johnson's leadership campaign following the Brexit referendum, beginning his own campaign in spite.

Despite a tsunami of ministerial and MP resignations, the Prime Minister has thwarted calls for him to resign from his role.

The Prime Minister faced increased scrutiny over his handling of the Chris Pincher scandal
The Prime Minister faced increased scrutiny over his handling of the Chris Pincher scandal
Justin Tallis

At PMQs, Mr Johnson said the "colossal mandate" he received following the 2019 general election, indicates he should continue leading the government despite the "difficult circumstances" he faces.

On Wednesday morning, he faced further resignations before his appearance in the commons.

The spate of resignations follows in the wake of the announcement from senior figures who stated they were leaving their positions yesterday evening.

Robin Walker resigned as schools standards minister, telling the Prime Minister the “great achievements” of the Government have become “overshadowed by mistakes and questions about integrity”.

Will Quince quit as children and families minister, saying he could not accept being sent out to defend the Prime Minister on television with inaccurate information over the Chris Pincher row.

Treasury economic secretary John Glen quit, telling the Prime Minister he could not reconcile staying in the job with “the complete lack of confidence I have in your continuing leadership of our country”.

Laura Trott resigned as a ministerial aide, saying “trust in politics is – and must always be – of the utmost importance, but sadly in recent months this has been lost”, while Felicity Buchan also stood down as a parliamentary private secretary, calling for “fresh leadership”.

Their resignations followed a string of departures from the Government on Tuesday evening, led by Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid, who delivered broadsides at Mr Johnson as they quit their Cabinet posts.

The Prime Minister faced a grilling from MPs in the commons, regarding his handling of the Chris Pincher scandal.

During the debate in the Commons, Mr Johnson said he is not going to “trivialise what happened” when asked if he ever said “Pincher by name, Pincher by nature” by Sir Keir.

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