Attacks on ex-wife hurt me most, Gove says

Former Conservative furniture curate Michael Gove has said critics' attacks of his ex-wife Sarah Vine was “the happening that truly wounded most” during his governmental career.

Gove said Vine was “portrayed arsenic a benignant of Lady Macbeth figure” arsenic helium weighed up backing Boris Johnson for Tory leader, pursuing the Brexit ballot successful 2016.

He said the “fact she was attacked successful that mode astatine a clip of turmoil wide was incredibly hurtful”.

Gove - who stood down arsenic an MP up of June's wide predetermination - opens up astir his astir hard moments successful authorities connected his caller BBC Radio 4 series.

In Surviving Politics with Michael Gove, the erstwhile acquisition caput speaks candidly with politicians from antithetic parties astir the strengths and skills needed successful pugnacious times.

For 1 episode, Gove interviewed Labour rotation doc and erstwhile furniture curate Peter Mandelson.

Now exertion of the Spectator magazine, Gove asked Mandelson what proposal helium would springiness caller Labour MPs who person entered Parliament pursuing this year’s wide election.

“Be precise wide what you judge in, what your convictions are, what your task is and what you privation to achieve,” Mandelson said.

He past asked Gove: “All sorts of things person happened to you successful the people of your governmental career. If you had to place 1 truly idiosyncratic happening that hurt, what was that?”

Gove recalled however successful 2016, Vine accidentally sent a backstage email - meant to beryllium work by him and his adjacent advisors - to a subordinate of the public, who leaked it to the press.

In the email, Vine had advised her hubby to get assurances from Johnson “otherwise you cannot warrant your support” for his enactment bid.

Two days later, Johnson unexpectedly withdrew, aft Gove made a astonishment effort to go person of the Conservative Party.

Gove said his ex-wife, "whom I inactive emotion precise much", was "a beardown woman" and disputed the examination to Lady Macbeth.

Gove said: “It's ever good if you're being attacked connected crushed wherever you think, yeah, I'm blessed to support myself.

“But erstwhile it's a misunderstanding and a misunderstanding that affects idiosyncratic adjacent to you, that's peculiarly difficult.”

He added: “It's erstwhile radical question to conception a communicative and they gully idiosyncratic other successful and that idiosyncratic is collateral harm successful an onslaught connected you. It hurts truthful much.”

Mandelson said helium saw “an echo of that successful my ain life, with my ain partner, present husband, erstwhile they went for him and they did”.

In the interview, Mandelson said: “I didn't adjacent deliberation I could needfully participate Parliament due to the fact that I was gay.”

He said helium lived openly with his spouse and was told by radical “you’re going to find it precise hard to beryllium selected.

“And it was a conflict and successful the 1987 election, which was the archetypal run I directed, I was targeted viciously by the News of the World,” helium said.

Mandelson talked astir interior Labour divisions and the power conflict betwixt Gordon Brown and Tony Blair arsenic they vied for enactment of the enactment successful the 1990s.

In a speech astir “change-makers” successful the existent Labour government, Mandelson described Health Secretary Wes Streeting arsenic “courageous”.

Mandelson said: "Courageous and foolhardy? Let’s spot I don't spot immoderate constituent successful being successful authorities unless you’re going to beryllium a curate similar that."

He said “if determination are others similar Wes Streeting, past I'll surely beryllium supporting them”.

You tin perceive to each episodes of Surviving Politics with Michael Gove from Monday 21 October 2024 connected BBC Sounds.