It is easy to forget just how brutally Michael Gove stabbed Boris Johnson in the back during the 2016 Tory leadership race.
After deciding "reluctantly but firmly" that his Conservative colleague (and friend) was not capable of uniting the party or the country, the ambitious former justice secretary declared: "It had to fall to someone else… I felt it had to fall to me."
On Sunday, it fell to the Cabinet Office minister to explain the Government's decision to order a second national lockdown, just weeks after the Prime Minister had described the idea as "the height of absurdity".
Two significant things happened during the critical Sunday morning broadcast round. First, Mr Gove suggested the month-long circuit breaker could be extended beyond December 2. Second, he was forced to deny that he was the cabinet minister who leaked details of the new coronavirus restrictions three days before No 10 intended to announce them.
Having decided on Saturday that the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (or "CDL", as Mr Gove prefers to call himself), should be the one to face the music after arguably the most chaotic 48 hours of Mr Johnson's administration, Downing Street was then forced to censure the accomplished media performer.
Contrary to his suggestion that it would be «foolish» to predict what would happen with the pandemic over the next four weeks, No 10 sources made it clear the Bill to be voted on by MPs on Wednesday will contain a 'sunset clause', stating December 2 as the end date "no ifs, not buts".
It came after former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith warned ministers to "defy Sage when they suck their teeth in early December and call for more time," amid growing unrest on the Conservative backbenches over the "incompetent" handling of the latest measures.
Summing up the mood among potential Tory rebels, former minister Sir Desmond Swayne said it would take a «huge amount of persuasion for me to vote for this disastrous course of action».
Yet their frustration was arguably eclipsed by fury felt by Mr Johnson when news of the proposed shut down was leaked to select newspapers on Friday night.
The Prime Minister was variously described as "furious", "incandescent" and "raging" after, as one well-placed source put it, "someone got very chatty" following a crucial "quad" meeting on Friday.
Since the crisis summit was only attended by a very small circle of ministers including Mr Gove, Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Health Secretary Matt Hancock, the finger of suspicion did not have far to point.
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Asked by the BBC's Andrew Marr if he leaked the information, Mr Gove replied: «No.»
Asked if he knew who had leaked it, he again said: «No.»
Sources close to Mr Hancock and Mr Sunak also issued strenuous denials.
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The move forced Mr Johnson to send a WhatsApp message apologising to Tory MPs.
«Let me assure you that the leak was not a No10 briefing and indeed we have launched an inquiry to catch the culprit,» he wrote.
Now the Telegraph has learned that the Prime Minister is so angry about being "bounced" into making the announcement on Saturday — rather than on Monday as he had originally planned, that the police may be brought in to investigate a potential offence of "malfeasance in public office".
According to one cabinet source: «They are going studs up on the leak. They will do everything possible.
«If they have to bring the police into this they will do that. That is the level of seriousness this is being treated at at Cabinet level.
«The sentiment — particularly among Cabinet ministers — is that when they find the leaker they should be absolutely punished. You can imagine how the Chief Whip feels right now.
«There is a feeling among some Cabinet ministers that there has been a tendency to reward bad behaviour too much in the past and on something like this that can’t happen.»
What is thought to have particularly infuriated Mr Johnson is the fact that he had expressly requested more data at the "quad" meeting to spend the weekend weighing up the pros and cons of a national lockdown versus stricter regional restrictions, only for the former to appear as a fait accompli on the front pages just hours later.
Mr Sunak was also working on "softening the impact and trying to keep it focused on the regional approach", but according to a senior Government source: "When it was leaked it became a done deal and forced the Prime Minister to take action.»
There have even been suggestions — denied by the Treasury — that Mr Sunak threatened to resign, which was why Saturday's press conference was delayed from 4pm to 6.30pm. His case certainly wasn't helped by European nations locking down towards the end of last week, meaning the anti-lockdown 'hawks' "lost their cover from the continent."
While Tory MPs are largely "resigned" to the new lockdown measures — which are likely to be voted through despite the dissent among some backbenchers — many are now holding the Prime Minister to his word on "catching the culprit".
Despite his denial, Mr Gove is regarded as having had the most to gain from the leak. One veteran MP said: "There is no doubt it was deliberately briefed to properly scupper deliberation on this.
"Michael has been arguing for lockdown for weeks and absolutely sees Rishi as a threat to him. He's got form on trying to make the Prime Minister look stupid. There were only four people in that room so it shouldn't take long for Boris to work it out. I have a feeling he knows who it is already."
Regardless of the outcome of any inquiry, Mr Gove's tendency to "freelance" on the response to the coronavirus pandemic continues to prove problematic for Mr Johnson, despite his undeniable value as the Government's resident "details" man.
As chairman of an influential Covid committee — as well as overseeing Brexit, civil service reform and the future preservation of the Union, Mr Gove is controlling many of the levers of power right now — aided by his loyal former special adviser Dominic Cummings.
Yet with his premiership hanging in the balance, many Conservatives are increasingly starting to question why Mr Johnson has entrusted so much to the man who, only four years ago, treacherously insisted that he was "better equipped" to be Prime Minister.
Source: Yahoo News
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