At times this week it has seemed as though Sarah Vine will soon be running the country — that is, if she isn’t secretly already. As well as informing readers, through her Daily Mail column, that she — along with her husband Michael Gove — has been ‘charged with implementing the instructions of 17 million people’ following the Leave vote, Vine is reported to have played a pivotal role in the Justice Secretary’s decision to turn his back on Boris Johnson and run for leader.
In fact, the first sign that all was not well between the Johnson and Gove camps came when Vine seemingly accidentally sent an email on the topic to a member of the public. In the ‘leaked‘ email on Wednesday, Vine wrote of her concerns over her husband attaching himself to the Boris leadership bid. As part of this she claimed that Paul Dacre, the Daily Mail editor, Rupert Murdoch, the News UK proprietor, did not have the ‘necessary reassurance’ to back BoJo. She claimed that while the media barons ‘instinctively dislike Boris’ they trusted Gove’s ability.
So, with Gove free from Johnson, surely he is now on track to be the toast of the Mail? Alas not. Despite Vine’s words, the Daily Mail has today taken the rather premature step of backing… Theresa May.
DAILY MAIL FRONT PAGE: 'Tory day of treachery' #skypapers pic.twitter.com/2aYPOHwTHr
— Sky News (@SkyNews) June 30, 2016
In the editorial they claim that only May is in possession of ‘the right qualities, the stature and experience’ to unite the country. Given that Dacre is also Vine’s boss, the decision to back May will no doubt sting. However, there is still hope that Murdoch will continue to trust in Gove’s ability. The pair are known to be close, the Justice Secretary attended Murdoch’s wedding to Jerry Hall in March.
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