Michael Gove was first elected as the Conservative MP for Surrey Heath in 2005, being reelected in 2019 with a majority of 18,394.
The Surrey Heath constituency is found in the north west corner of Surrey. It borders both Berkshire and Hampshire and contains the towns of Camberley, Frimley Green, Bagshot, Bisley, Lightwater, and Ash. This is an economically active and affluent part of England, and one where the Conservative Party typically polls around three fifths of the vote.
Gove is a recognisable figure to the public having sat in the Cabinet for most of the period between 2010 and 2022. He was though sacked by Boris Johnson, Theresa May, and David Cameron. This makes him probably the first cabinet minister ever to be sacked by three different prme ministers..
In October 2022, Gove was appointed as Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Minister for Intergovernmental Relations. He previously held the position betweeen 2021 and 2022 before being sacked by Boris Johnson.
Gove was Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster between 2019 and 2021, having previously been the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (2017-2019), Secretary of State for Justice (2015-2016), Government Chief Whip (2014-15), and Secretary of State for Education (2010-2014).
He has twice stood for the Conservative leadership (2016, 2019) coming third on both occasions. He backed Kemi Badenoch for the party leadership in July 2022.
Gove was co-convenor of the Vote Leave campaign in the 2016 EU referendum.
Born in 1967, Michael Gove was adopted as a child. He was brought up in Aberdeen by his mother and father, who ran a fish-processing business. Gove attended Oxford University. He worked as a journalist before entering into politics, including at the Times newspaper, where he was both the paper’s Leader writer and later assistant editor.
He married the journalist Sarah Vine. The pair announced they were going through a divorce in July 2021. They have two children.
In 2021 following Gove being pictured in an Aberdeen nightclub, Boris Johnson referred to him in his 2021 conference speech as John Bon Govi. He supports Chelsea football club.
Email: michael.gove.mp@parliament.uk
Personal Website: www.michaelgove.com
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Michael-Gove
