MICHAEL Gove is to become editor of The Spectator following the magazine’s takeover by GB News co-owner Sir Paul Marshall.
The former Tory MP and minister is set to start his new job at the publication on October 8.
He follows in the footsteps of many other Conservative politicians who have filled the role, including Boris Johnson and Nigel Lawson.
The appointment comes just a few months after Gove stepped down as a Tory MP ahead of the General Election.
It means he will be in place as editor for the last three weeks of the Conservative Party leadership contest.
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It is understood Gove sought the approval of the UK Government’s Advisory Committee on Business Appointments before accepting the role, as they must green light any job taken by ex-ministers within two years of leaving government.
The current editor, Fraser Nelson, has been in the post since 2009 and oversaw record print circulation figures.
However, Nelson has also faced criticism for the magazine’s stance against Covid-19 lockdowns as well as once publishing a piece in defence of Nazi troops.
The appointment of Gove comes after Marshall outbid Rupert Murdoch to acquire the magazine for £100 million earlier this month, which is around twice what it was expected to sell for.
Yet Marshall's takeover was not well received by everyone.
The journalist Andrew Neil resigned as chairman once the sale was finalised and suggested that Marshall's involvement may impact the editorial stance of the magazine.
In a statement following his resignation, Neil said: “My greatest regret is that I have not been able to find you a new home guaranteed to nurture the unique chemistry of The Spectator, which makes it so special and successful. .
“You can have all the resources in the world but if you don’t understand what really makes The Spectator tick then they will be as naught.
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“I regarded it as my prime responsibility for 20 years to ensure [editorial independence], protecting the editor not just from outside pressures, commercial or political, but even from proprietors/
“I cannot tell if the new owners will have the same reverence for editorial independence since they have not shared their thinking.”
Gove once defended Marshall after he was found to have liked a tweet on X/Twitter which claimed "civil war is coming" to the UK due to an increase in the Muslim population.
After a Labour MP asked Gove how he squared "his definition of extremism with accepting money from someone like Marshall", Gove said:
"I deprecate the attack on Sir Paul Marshall, who is a distinguished philanthropist"
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