Gove gets a fancy seat as Sunak plays Santa with peerages to his inner circle

By HOAR Team 10 April, 2025 4 mins read 81 Views

Oh god. Here we go again. Another round of political musical chairs, except this time, the prize isn't just a comfy seat—it's a lifetime appointment to the House of Lords. And guess who's leading the parade? Michael bloody Gove.

The man's like a political cockroach—surviving cabinet reshuffles, backstabbing incidents, and even Boris Johnson's temper tantrums. Now he's about to add "Lord" to his business card while continuing to run The Spectator. Because apparently editing one of Britain's most influential political magazines while simultaneously sitting in Parliament isn't a conflict of interest or anything. Sure.

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The Backstabber Gets His Reward?

Let's not forget teh spectacular betrayal of 2016. There's Gove, standing right behind Boris, nodding along supportively during the leadership campaign... until he wasn't. Suddenly announcing his own bid hours after pledging support to Johnson? That's cold even by Westminster standards.

Their relationship never recovered—shocker.

I remember talking to a Tory staffer back in 2018 who described the atmosphere whenever both men entered the same room. "Like watching two cats deciding whether to fight or ignore each other," she whispered over her £4 parliament cafeteria coffee. "Everyone just holds their breath."

Who else is getting the golden ticket?

Sunak's not just rewarding Gove. The resignation honours list reportedly includes Simon Hart (former chief whip), Alister Jack (Scottish secretary), and Stephen Massey (ex-party boss). All loyal soldiers in the Sunak army, now getting their medals while the Tory party licks its wounds in opposition.

It's tradition, of course. Every outgoing PM does this—dishing out titles like party favors at a child's birthday. But there's something particularly rich about watching a party that just suffered its worst electoral defeat in history still playing these establishment games.

The Gove Resurrection Chronicles (Volume 6)

I've been covering politics for nearly 15 years, and I swear Gove has more lives than my neighbor's cat. After Boris sacked him in 2022—literally during his final desperate hours clinging to power—most people thought Gove was finally finished.

Wrong.

Sunak brought him straight back into Cabinet. My editor bet me $20 that wouldn't happen. Easiest money I ever made. "He's too valuable," a Cabinet source texted me that day. "Knows where all the bodies are buried because he put half of them there."

And now, despite backing Kemi Badenoch in the leadership contest that Sunak won, he's being rewarded anyway. Politics is weird like that.

What's he REALLY after?

Here's what nobody's talking about... a peerage isn't just a fancy title and a nice red bench to sit on. It opens the door for ministerial comeback. From the Lords.

Gove didn't survive this long by accident. The man plays chess while others are playing checkers. Sometimes I feel stupid for not seeing his moves until they've already happened.

Remember when Nadine Dorries (Boris's most loyal attack dog) accused Gove of orchestrating Johnson's downfall? She wasn't entirely wrong. The man has a talent for being at the scene of every political assassination without ever getting blood on his hands.

The long game

So what happens now? Gove gets to wear the fancy robes, collect his £313 daily attendance allowance, and continue influencing Conservative politics from his perch at The Spectator. Not bad for someone who just months ago was supposedly leaving politics.

I ran into an ex-Gove advisor at a conference last month. His response when I mentioned this possibility: "Michael never leaves the stage. He just changes costumes."

Truer words... you know the rest.

And while the Labour government gets on with actually running the country, the Conservative drama continues. Some things never change.

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