Why Michael Gove should be the next British prime minister

Who should be the next prime minister of the United Kingdom? I think it should be the man widely accused of stabbing the former frontrunner in the back.

But first, let's rewind. Britain stunned the world by voting to leave the European Union. Prime Minister David Cameron, who had backed remaining in the EU, resigned after such a slap in the face. Now Britain's Conservative Party must elect a new leader, who will automatically become the next prime minister of the U.K., since the party has a majority in the House of Commons.

The favorite to win it was the leader of the Leave campaign, Boris Johnson. But in a stunning political upset, Johnson took his name out of consideration Thursday. The race now looks like a contest between Theresa May, the home secretary and favorite of the party's "Remain" camp, and the man widely accused of "knifing" Johnson, Michael Gove.

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So why should Gove be the next prime minister? Well, the first reason is that he's a reluctant candidate. It's a testament to how cruel the world of politics is that so many are saying that Gove took out his erstwhile ally in the Leave campaign. In numerous videos that have been swirling around the internet, Gove can be shown vowing that he never wants to be prime minister. He even once proclaimed that if signing a piece of parchment with his blood saying he doesn't want to be prime minister would convince people he's not interested in the job, he would do it. So what happened?

The real reason why Boris couldn't quite make it as a candidate for prime minister is the same reason he's such a popular politician to begin with: He's a lovable goofball. After the Brexit victory, he published a strange column in The Daily Telegraph that seemed to hint that he would welcome a deal with the EU that would leave Britain as a member in all but name, in particular allowing the free movement of people from the EU to the U.K., a key issue in the campaign. Extricating Britain from the EU is going to be a very tricky job, requiring the rewriting of literally thousands of pieces of legislation, and the negotiation of several new treaties. Something that requires a steady hand and a sober mind. Which is not exactly Boris.

In fact, it's clear from what's come out about the frantic few hours before Gove withdrew his support from Boris and decided to run against him that Gove simply became convinced that his former ally couldn't hack it. And since nobody else from the Leave side could solidify that camp's support and beat a Remain candidate, it was up to him.

Which goes to the next point: Michael Gove is a conviction politician. Today, he's the justice secretary of the U.K., but his longest stint in government was as education secretary, where he fought hard to introduce a full voucher system, but was frustrated by Cameron and the Conservatives' coalition agreement with the Liberal Democrats. So instead, he tried to increase the number of independent schools and improve education standards.

Gove is an old-fashioned, buttoned-up, serious conservative, a style which is no longer very popular in the U.K. Brits like their conservatives either milquetoast and sugary, a la Cameron, or populist, either in the happy-warrior style, like Boris Johnson, or in the fiery style, like Nigel Farage. (Or not at all.)

But Gove's style is an avatar of why he got into politics in the first place. People across the political spectrum disagree with his policy preferences, but almost everyone in the British political world agrees that he's the sort of man who got into politics because of a genuine desire to make a difference, not because of a love of power or the limelight. He cares deeply about policy and conservative principle.

When David Cameron was elected prime minister, The Economist famously put him on its cover with a giant punk mohawk and the title "Radical Britain," because of how radically his policy agenda promised to transform British government. As all governments do, Cameron's government under-delivered on that promise, despite some bright spots. But it was mostly because people like Cameron held back people like Gove for political reasons. Gove is a true-believer with a mastery of policy detail, and that's quite rare.

His style is also the reason for why many people don't believe he's the man to lead the party. He doesn't exactly have the common touch. And, I mean, just look at him. He does look kind of funny, even for a Brit. But the Leave campaign has nonetheless revealed him as a first-rate debater and someone who can deliver a powerful speech.

He's intelligent. He cares about policy. He has principles. And he's probably electable. He checks all the boxes. Michael Gove is the man to lead the United Kingdom.