Justice Secretary Gove to Spell out Post-Brexit Plans

London’s former mayor “ducked” crucial decisions and failed to show the qualities needed to take over from David Cameron, according to the Justice Secretary.

Explaining his shock decision to withdraw support from Mr Johnson, a move which has been branded treacherous by some Tory colleagues, Mr Gove insisted he had been putting the country first.

Britain’s justice secretary is a controversial figure, admired by some, loathed by others.

And in an interview with the BBC, Mr Gove appeared to hint that Mr Johnson didn’t really support leaving the European Union after all, despite being a high-profile leave campaigner during the referendum.

Accosted by journalists as he left his London home this morning, Mr Johnson was repeatedly asked whether he felt Mr Gove had “betrayed” him.

Highlighting the uncertainty the “Leave” vote has created for business, easyJet said it was trying to acquire a certificate to operate in a European country “to enable EasyJet to fly across Europe as we do today”.

He has pitched himself as the candidate that can provide “unity and change”.

He stopped short of backing Theresa May for the top job, but branded her “papabile” – the Roman Catholic term for “capable of being pope”.

“…I am the candidate for change”.

He’s quiet, bookish, and widely accused of back-stabbing the front-runner in the race to become the next British prime minister. May’s unsmiling public persona and hard-line conservative politics have drawn occasional comparisons to the Iron Lady.

A succession of leading Conservative politicians threw their weight behind May.

The two men had campaigned together to yank Britain from the EU. The endorsement came despite the fact that May backed the “remain” campaign.

Gove’s wife, Sarah Vine, is a Daily Mail columnist.

The Sun, another top-selling British tabloid, used a picture of Johnson on its cover with the word “Brexecuted” underneath.

Theresa has assured me that she understands the need to do everything necessary to carry out the wishes of the British people, as expressed in the referendum, and press on with withdrawal as quickly as possible.

But Gove, having undermined Johnson, had to justify his decision.

“I was one of those who personally was appalled by the idea of Boris Johnson being Prime Minister, but I’ve not fallen out with him personally”.

He replies: ‘Well that will be up to the next Prime Minister, and that can’t be me as I explained yesterday’.

Under party rules, the candidates will be reduced to two in a vote among the party’s lawmakers before party members choose between the final pair.

A “YouGov” poll for “The Times” of 1,000 Conservative Party members put May ahead on 36 percent with Johnson on 27 percent.

In addition to May and Gove, Energy Minister Andrea Leadsom and former Defense Secretary Liam Fox – both prominent supporters of Britain’s European Union exit, or Brexit – and Work and Pensions Secretary Stephen Crabb, who supported staying in the European Union, are also seeking to take over from Cameron in early September.

Cameron has said he will not formally trigger Britain’s exit and will leave that task to his successor.

On Thursday, Gove already signalled he would not be in a rush out of the bloc, if elected. He said he wants a “renewed Britain, optimistic, open to the world, a place of hope and healing”.