Michael Gove, the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Secretary, has declined to follow in Rishi Sunak’s footsteps by placing a £1,000 bet on the success of the Government’s Rwanda asylum scheme. He told Sky News’ Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips: “I don’t have that sort of money, Trevor.”
However, he confidently stated that “we absolutely will” get flights off the ground before the general election.
When asked if he would make a £100 bet instead, Mr Gove responded: “I would happily give you 100 quid, take you out for a very nice meal and spend that money on making sure that you are a happier man.”
To this, Phillips retorted: “This is a political programme, not a dating agency.”
In the same interview, Mr Gove defended Rishi Sunak’s controversial comment about transgender people in the Commons. When asked if Mr Sunak should reflect on his words, the Cabinet minister replied: “No. I think that the Prime Minister was more likely drawing attention to the fact that Keir Starmer has U-turned 60 times. I think that the Prime Minister was absolutely right to draw attention to that.”
Finally, Mr Gove expressed full confidence in Mr Sunak as the right leader to lead the Tories into the general election.
Despite facing accusations of being part of a coup to oust the Prime Minister, he told Sky’s Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips: “You bet. Absolutely. 100 percent. The Prime Minister is one of the most gifted leaders in the Western world.”
He added it would be “invidious” to “look at individual cases” when asked about Rishi Sunak paying a lower effective rate of tax than a nurse. He concluded: “I think individuals’ tax affairs are matters for them and I think it’s invidious to look at individual cases.
