Michael Gove

Secretary of State for Education; MP, Surrey Heath

Michael Gove has been MP for Surrey Heath since 2005, and is the Secretary of State for Education in the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government following the 2010 general election. He pursued a career in journalism after serving as President of the Oxford Union, and has worked for local and national newspapers, as well as radio and TV. He has written for The Times, The Times Literary supplement, Prospect, and The Spectator, in addition to working for the Today programme. He has also appeared as a panellist on TV programmes such as Question Time and Newsnight.

Gove was formerly chairman of Policy Exchange, a think-tank for policing, local government and combating terrorism. In his capacity as Secretary of State for Education, he is committed to raising educational standards in state schools and helping children from less privileged backgrounds. He is author of the The Price of Peace (2000), which won him the Charles Douglas-Home Prize, and Celsius 7/7 (2006).