Express & Star comment: Michael Gove a key player in shambles
It appears to be first blood to Michael Gove in the race to replace Theresa May.
The Environment Secretary looks to have made a clever move by suggesting he would scrap HS2 should he be handed the job of succeeding the increasingly troubled Prime Minister.
Undoubtedly, there would be a great deal of appeal for such a policy, considering the massed ranks of Tory backbenchers who oppose the controversial project.
The more we hear about HS2, the less appealing it becomes, with constant amendments to legislation increasing the cost of a scheme that is already way above its original budget.
It is easy to see why so many people consider it to be little more than a David Cameron vanity project, with little in terms of real value for the British taxpayer.
It is possible that Mrs May’s decision to persist with HS2 may well go down as one of her many failings as Prime Minister.
With her grip on power weakening by the day, it is easy to see why a lengthy queue is forming to take over.
However, if Mr Gove is to be taken seriously as a leadership contender, there then is a major hurdle that he must overcome.
Given the way he torpedoed Boris Johnson’s bid for Number 10, it is highly likely that Mr Gove is considered to be one of the most untrustworthy senior politicians in the Conservative Party.
In hindsight, many Tory MPs will look at the way that Mr Gove handled this particular episode and view it as disastrous for the Tories and the Brexit negotiations.
His backstabbing certainly contributed to the current shambles that the party finds itself immersed in.
Had Mr Gove stuck to his original plan to support Mr Johnson and taken a senior cabinet role, he would now be in a far better position to ascend to the top job.
There will be huge numbers in his party that still find his actions both unfathomable and unforgivable.
Mr Gove paved the way for the muddled leadership that we now see from Mrs May.
The fact that he now apparently sees himself as a runner in the leadership race speaks volumes for not only his ego, but also for the state of the senior ranks of the Conservative Party.
