Michael Gove is among several former cabinet ministers to be given a seat in the House of Lords in Rishi Sunak’s resignation honours list.
The former levelling up secretary served in the cabinets of four prime ministers before standing down as an MP ahead of last July’s general election.
A rare constant across the fourteen years of Conservative governance that came to an end in 2024, Gove also served as education secretary, chief whip, justice secretary, environment secretary and chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.
Gove, who was MP for Surrey Heath for nearly 20 years, is now editor of the influential Spectator magazine.
Born in 1967, Gove was adopted as a child, and brought up in Aberdeen by his adopted parents, who ran a fish-processing business.
He attended Oxford University, later working as a journalist before entering politics.
First elected as an MP in 2005, Gove was co-convenor of the Vote Leave campaign in the 2016 EU referendum.
He twice stood for the Conservative leadership (2016, 2019), coming third on both occasions.
Mark Harper, former transport secretary; Simon Hart, former chief whip; Alister Jack, former Scottish secretary; and Victoria Prentis, former attorney general, are the four other onetime cabinet ministers to have been awarded a peerage in Sunak’s resignation honours list.
Former chief executive of the Conservative Party, Stephen Massey, also becomes a peer, as well as Eleanor Shawcross, former head of the No10 policy unit.
Meanwhile, former chancellor Jeremy Hunt, former defence secretary Grant Shapps, shadow chancellor Mel Stride and former foreign secretary James Cleverly have been awarded knighthoods.
Outside of politics, legendary former England fast bowler James Anderson and filmmaker Matthew Vaughn have also been given knighthoods.
Josh Self is Editor of Politics.co.uk, follow him on Bluesky here.
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