Replace Theresa May with Michael Gove, says top Tory donor
Environment Secretary emerging as frontrunner to succeed prime minister and unite Tories
Michael Gove should replace Theresa May as prime minister, a major Tory party donor has publically stated.
Crispin Odey, a hedge fund manager who backed the Leave campaign, said May had shown she cannot “carry Brexit through” and claimed only the environment secretary had the skills to make a success of Britain’s exit from the EU and appeal to voters.
“He’s the only minister who is still being a minister,” Odey said. “Michael has got lots of attributes that make him a non-traditional Tory. He is very aware that he has to appeal not just to the wealthy, but also more broadly”.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The intervention is “a stark sign of the frustration among prominent Brexit supporters over the government’s handling of negotiations with the EU”, says The Guardian, which reports a growing sense both within the Tory party and across Westminster that the former Vote Leave figurehead is the best placed minister to deliver a successful Brexit and lead the party out of its current malaise.
Last month Gove spoke at the opening of a new progressive conservative think tank, Onward, alongside Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson, who has also been widely talked up as a future leader of the Tory party.
This led many to position the pair as a “Tory dream ticket”, and speculate that they had struck a deal to install Gove as an interim prime minister before making way for Davidson in time for the 2022 general election.
Last month, The Sun said as many as 30 MPs were trying to gather support for the “plot”.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
It represents a remarkable turnaround for Gove, says the BBC . His botched attempt to succeed David Cameron after the referendum was widely condemned, but he has since enjoyed something of a renaissance as environment secretary.
-
The six-seven meme that has taken over the worldIn the Spotlight With roots in rap and basketball, the phrase has young people obsessed, and it could be here to stay
-
Five takeaways from Plaid Cymru’s historic Caerphilly by-election winThe Explainer The ‘big beasts’ were ‘humbled’ but there was disappointment for second-placed Reform too
-
A journey through Trinidad’s wild heartThe Week Recommends Experience the island’s natural wonders, from watching baby turtles hatch to visiting an ancient bat cave
-
Five takeaways from Plaid Cymru’s historic Caerphilly by-election winThe Explainer The ‘big beasts’ were ‘humbled’ but there was disappointment for second-placed Reform too
-
The new age of book banningThe Explainer How America’s culture wars collided with parents and legislators who want to keep their kids away from ‘dangerous’ ideas
-
Taking the low road: why the SNP is still standing strongTalking Point Party is on track for a fifth consecutive victory in May’s Holyrood election, despite controversies and plummeting support
-
Five policies from the Tory conferenceIn Depth Party leader Kemi Badenoch has laid out the Conservative plan for a potential future government
-
Is Britain turning into ‘Trump’s America’?Today’s Big Question Direction of UK politics reflects influence and funding from across the pond
-
Charlie Kirk honored as ‘martyr’ at memorial rallySpeed Read At a service for the slain conservative activist, speakers included President Donald Trump and many top administration officials
-
Can the Lib Dems be a party of government again?Today's Big Question Leader Ed Davey is urged to drop the stunts and present a serious plan for the country
-
What difference will the 'historic' UK-Germany treaty make?Today's Big Question Europe's two biggest economies sign first treaty since WWII, underscoring 'triangle alliance' with France amid growing Russian threat and US distance