Latest news with #MichaelGove
Irish Post
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Irish Post
Born in Britain, still not English
THERE are quite clearly some people who were born and raised in Irish families in England who consider themselves English. I don't have any problem with that.I don't fully understand it, but that's not meant as any kind of judgement. I'm only going by my own experience, and such was the intensity of being Irish in that upbringing that being English just never occurred to me. Of course, I can see how that is different for different people. Coming from those huge, urban Irish immigrant communities, I can't quite see how you come out of that not being Irish—but, you know, to each their own. English. Half-Irish-Half-English. British. I've heard all of them and, like I say, while I can't quite grasp those identities, that doesn't mean they aren't valid. The failure of understanding is mine, isn't it? I know I can define and defend my identity—God only knows I've gone on about it quite enough—so I've no need to denigrate someone else's. I do have some bad news, though, for those who do see themselves as English: it might just be the case that they don't want you. The English, I mean. The English-English, if you like. Fittingly enough, as I'm writing this in the month the death was announced of Norman Tebbit, the 1980s hardline Conservative MP. Back in the eighties, Tebbit was one of my early confirmations of how I wasn't English when he rolled out his infamous 'cricket test'. It all sounds quite innocent by today's standards, but Tebbit's notion was that if you had been raised and were living and working in England but did not support England in the cricket, then what were you doing here? As neither a cricket fan nor an England fan, I knew I was going to fail that loyalty test every time. I was never going to be English in Tebbit's eyes—and that suited me fine. But we've gone way past cricket now in Brexit-flavoured England. What follows is not a conversation from the dark corners of the internet, nor one between fringe figures. It comes from The Spectator magazine and features Michael Gove, who was until recently a senior government minister, and Matt Goodwin, a political scientist, commentator, and GB News presenter. These are their words, quoted verbatim for the purposes of commentary: Michael Gove: 'Would you say that Kemi Badenoch, or Rishi Sunak or Tony Sewell or Dame Kelly Holmes are not really English?' Matt Goodwin: 'Well, this is a debate. My view is that Englishness is an ethnicity, deeply rooted in a people that can trace their roots back over generations. It is a very distinctive identity and a different identity from Britishness. I think someone can identify as British and can be British but they cannot simultaneously identify as English.' Goodwin continues: 'I take a much thicker view of Englishness and that is that our history, the legacy of our collective identity, the legacy of our culture, goes much deeper and much further back.' Gove then asks him about the Englishness of former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak—pointing out that Sunak was born and raised in Southampton, went to that most English of public schools, Winchester, supports Southampton FC, and is a Conservative. 'Is he not English?' To which Goodwin replies: 'Well, Rishi Sunak could choose to identify as English if he views himself that way, but I think it is also true that there is an English ethnicity, an English group, that goes back generations that Rishi Sunak himself would say, 'I do not have as strong a linkage to that group as other people do.'' Asked to define Englishness, Goodwin says: 'I would say someone who has been born in England, can trace their roots back through many generations, and who would identify with a way of life and a culture that surrounds Englishness as an identity.' Now, all of those words are theirs. I haven't altered them or shaped them to fit an argument of my own. I haven't even explored where such ideas of English ethnic identity lead to, or just how many people it excludes. But one, maybe two generations removed from a farmer in Mayo, a labourer in Cork, or a painter in Dublin—just how English do you think they really think you are? Joe Horgan posts on X at @JoeHorganwriter See More: Englishness, Irish Identity
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Angela Rayner ordered two beds costing £7k for her grace-and-favour Government flat
ordered two beds costing nearly £7,000 for her grace-and-favour Government flat, it emerged yesterday. The Deputy Prime Minister bought them in January, and they were installed on Valentine's Day. Ms Rayner lives in Winston Churchill's old Westminster home, Admiralty House, which was originally built to house the First Lord of the Admiralty. The previous resident was Michael Gove, the former housing secretary, and Ms Rayner moved into the property in December last year. At the time, a source close to Ms Rayner told the Mirror: 'It's become increasingly unsustainable not to have a government base in London now she's the Deputy Prime Minister.' Admiralty House is also where the last Labour deputy prime minister, John Prescott, lived. He became known as 'Two Jags' thanks to his two Jaguar cars. Admiralty House was built in the 18th century at the request of Viscount Howe, Admiral of the Fleet. It is one of several 'grace and favour' ministerial residences offered to Cabinet members – meaning Ms Rayner can stay there rent-free. The house has been divided into function rooms and three ministerial flats. And government-owned properties in the building were furnished with two new beds 'to replace end of life existing beds', according to Freedom of Information requests by the Guido Fawkes website. This cost £5,132.44 plus 20 per cent VAT with an additional bill of £498.14 plus 20 per cent VAT for installation – a total of £6,756.70 or £3,378.35 per bed. A Tory source said: 'First we had John 'Two Jags' Prescott and now we have Angela 'Two Beds' Rayner. A woman of the people she is not.' Last year, Ms Rayner was cleared by HMRC over the sale of her former council house in Stockport following a row about whether she owed capital gains tax. A Government spokesman said: 'One of the flats in Admiralty House is allocated to the Deputy Prime Minister in her official capacity. 'The maintenance of Admiralty House, including the replacement of end-of-life beds, is managed and administered by the Government Property Agency.' Sources said that the beds had been replaced as a matter of course to maintain the property.
Daily Record
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
ITV Good Morning Britain fans 'switch off' as they're left furious over star's replacement
Good Morning Britain viewers took to social media to fume over the "disgraceful" change in the show. Good Morning Britain fans "switched off" after they were left furious over a star's replacement during Tuesday's instalment of the show. During's today episode of the hit ITV programme on July 22, presenters Kate Garraway and Ed Balls updated viewers with the latest news stories from across the UK and the rest of the world. Weather presenter Laura Tobin was also in the studio to deliver regular updates while Jonathan Swain presented the rest of the day's news. Kate and Ed discussed the new powers to tackle those making money from illegal immigrants crossing the channel, and revealed a shocking investigation into female reproductive health care. The hosts also welcomed JLS star JB Gill to chat about his latest career adventure. In another segment of the programme, regular commentator Kevin Maguire appeared to discuss the day's topical stories. However, viewers were quick to spot that his usual co-star Andrew Pierce was replaced by former Conservative MP Michael Gove, the Mirror reports. During the segment, Kevin and Michael disagreed over the small boats crisis and Nigel Farage's "zero-tolerance" approach on crime. They also chatted about the ongoing conflict in Gaza after the UK and 27 other countries have called for an immediate end to the war. Speaking about the current Labour government, Michael said: "There's a difference between what diplomacy can achieve and what the public want." Kevin replied: "You need lots of different policies, and I think you just get a change of government where you get a fresh approach. "The old government has got bogged down. There's no single measure that'll solve [immigration]." After spotting Michael on the show, many Good Morning Britain viewers rushed to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share their frustration. A second penned: "GMB this morning is a painful watch." Another chimed in: "Why is Michael Gove on GMB this morning? Defo switching over." Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. Meanwhile, another shared: "#GMB why do you have Gove on? No one wants to watch that." Another wrote: "Don't know why I even bothered switching this on."
Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
ITV Good Morning Britain viewers 'switch off' as they fume over star's replacement
Good Morning Britain viewers shared their frustration just minutes into Tuesday's live show Good Morning Britain viewers "switched off" as they fumed over a star's replacement on Tuesday (July 22). During today's edition of the hit ITV programme, hosts Kate Garraway and Ed Balls updated viewers with the latest news from across the UK and around the world. Laura Tobin was also in the studio to deliver regular weather updates, while Jonathan Swain presented the rest of the day's news. Elsewhere, regular commentator Kevin Maguire appeared to discuss the day's topical stories, but his usual co-star Andrew Pierce was replaced by former Conservative MP Michael Gove. After spotting the replacement, many of the show's viewers quickly took to X (formerly Twitter) to share their frustration. "You've got to be joking? Bye," one person wrote, with another adding: "Why is Michael Gove on GMB this morning? Defo switching over." A third said: "Is it just me or is Gove getting way more talking time than Maguire?" with another sharing: "#GMB why do you have Gove on? No one wants to watch that." This is a breaking showbiz story and is being constantly updated. Please refresh the page regularly to get the latest news, pictures and videos.
Spectator
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Spectator
Coffee House Shots Live: Are the Tories toast?
Exclusive to subscribers, watch our latest event Are the Tories toast? live. Spectator editor Michael Gove, is joined by new political editor Tim Shipman and assistant editor Isabel Hardman as they discuss where the Tories go from here. The strange death of Tory England has been predicted before. But never has the 'natural party of government' faced a greater challenge to survive. The Conservatives are facing attacks on all fronts from Labour, the Liberal Democrats and Reform UK. Kemi Badenoch's six-month anniversary as leader was marked by the loss of nearly 700 councillors, with a stern test awaiting next year in Scotland and in Wales. She promises change with her long-awaited policy commissions, ahead of a make-or-break party conference in October, but can she turn it around? Is there a road back to power for the 121 surviving Tory MPs? And what exactly is Robert Jenrick and the rest of the shadow cabinet up to? If you would like a reminder to join the livestream tonight at 7.00pm, please enter your email address below: *Please note this is a subscriber-only exclusive. If you would like to sign up and get your first 3 months for just £3, subscribe today.
