As the exodus of Conservative MPs continues, Mr S is rather curious about what alternative careers retiring Tories have in their sights. The number of Conservative politicians stepping down at the general election is 78 and counting — and on Friday night, a resignation announcement from a high-profile Tory veteran stunned the nation. Michael Gove, currently Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, announced just days after Sunak called the snap election that he would not be contesting his Surrey Heath seat, despite having a rather impressive majority of over 18,000.
The Tory Trot wrote that:
I know the toll office can take, as do those closest to me. No-one in politics is a conscript. We are volunteers who willingly choose our fate. And the chance to serve is wonderful. But there comes a moment when you know that it is time to leave. That a new generation should lead.
Strong stuff. But after a busy career working in a variety of government departments — from Education to Justice to Rural Affairs to Levelling Up — how will the long-standing MP manage to fill his free time? Well, it now transpires that the Surrey Heath MP has been polishing off his dancing shoes in preparation for a stint on a hit BBC competition show. The Times reports that, amongst preparing for paper columns and radio interviews, ‘we are promised there will be an appearance on Strictly Come Dancing‘. Talk about a silver lining…
Gove is of course no stranger to the dance floor, making a well-publicised appearance in the 80s-themed ‘Bohemia’ club in Aberdeen in 2021. He impressed club organisers so much with his lesser-seen contortions that they later described the politician as having ‘incredible energy and stamina’, adding he ‘definitely blew some cobwebs away’.
Soon to have more time for latin sambas than levelling up, the Tory foxtrotter’s Strictly debut may not be too far from our screens. And while his colleagues look to face a rather dismal election defeat, Gove seems set on dancing the pain away…
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