After being seen staring at his phone this morning, Michael Gove flashed a mischievous smile at the camera during his introduction on the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg.
The Housing Secretary is tapping away at his cell phone, unaware of what’s going on, but after a few seconds, he glances up when Ms. Kuennsberg says his name.
With a sardonic smirk towards the camera, he quickly tucks his phone into the breast pocket of his navy blue jacket, realising he’s been discovered.
The former political editor of the BBC shared the brief video this afternoon on her X account with her 1.4 million followers, writing, “Nice of you to join us, Mr Gove.”
More than 35,000 people have watched it, and some social media users have found it hilarious.
While one jokingly speculated that he could have been checking the most recent odds on the next prime minister, another inquired whether he was checking on Bojo [Boris Johnson].
Mr Gove was quizzed this morning in a round of television interviews where he pointed to a growing population, not enough homes being built, and a squeeze on mortgage finance when he was asked why the housing system is broken.
This week, he is due to detail measures that will allow developers to convert empty office blocks, department stores and commercial buildings through streamlined planning processes.
The government plans to amend the legislation to allow for the quicker repurposing of “brownfield” properties to encourage developers to build in town centres and increase the rate at which homes are constructed there.
Speaking to the Sunday Times today he warned that ‘it’s simply harder for us to make that case if people who’ve got broadly small ”c” conservative values, or actually no particular political agenda at all, feel that they’re being shut out.’
‘If people think that markets are rigged and a democracy isn’t listening to them, then you get—and this is the worrying thing to me—an increasing number of young people saying, ‘I don’t believe in democracy, I don’t believe in markets,’ he said.
Meanwhile, he defended Rishi Sunak’s controversial transgender jibe on Sky’s Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, saying the prime minister was ‘absolutely right’ to use it to attack Sir Keir Starmer’s U-turns.
As Esther Ghey, the mother of transgender adolescent Brianna Ghey, was visiting Parliament, Mr Sunak provoked a backlash by accusing the Labour leader in the Commons of not being able to “define a woman.”
When it came to Michael Gove, there was a complete lack of etiquette and most likely an addiction to his stupid phone. Michael Gove is beyond parody – he’s just comedy gold, but how is being ‘rumbled’ looking at one’s phone? I’m sure many people do this when they believe they’re off-camera.
This dude embodies every Tory politician in ideal form. A liar, cunning, schemer, and driven solely by self-interest, but then, aren’t all politicians alike?
Like most politicians, he’s a haughty, conceited man who should not be trusted. All these politicians are the same – they toe the line for a while, tell you what you want to hear, and then lie their pants off.
THE MONTHLY MOSQUITO 