Michael Gove returns to the Times as columnist and book reviewer

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/sep/05/michael-gove-returns-times-columnist-book-reviewer

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Michael Gove, the former justice secretary and Leave campaigner, is set to return to the Times as a columnist and book reviewer.

Gove, who was sacked by prime minister Theresa May after making an ill-fated bid to lead the Conservative party, worked for the Times between 1996 and 2005.

He left the newspaper to become an MP, winning Surrey Heath in the 2005 general election, but continued to write a column until 2010, when he was made education secretary in David Cameron’s government.

He went on to hold the post of justice secretary and was a key figure in the Leave campaign, initially backing Boris Johnson to take over from Cameron after the UK voted to leave the EU – before deciding to launch his own bid.

Gove, a close political ally of Cameron and former chancellor George Osborne before joining the Leave camp, lost the leadership contest to May who subsequently sacked him as justice secretary in a sweeping cabinet reshuffle.

The Times, which backed the Remain campaign while tabloid stablemate The Sun supported Brexit, said that Gove would return to the newspaper next month.

Gove’s wife Sarah Vine is a columnist at the Daily Mail.

During Gove’s leadership bid, Vine accidentally emailed a member of the public with concerns about backing Johnson and telling him not to support his bid without a specific job offer.