London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 31, 2025

Westminster at war: How Cameron told Gove to 'sink his teeth into Boris Johnson's ankles'

Westminster at war: How Cameron told Gove to 'sink his teeth into Boris Johnson's ankles'

DAVID CAMERON told Michael Gove to "sink his teeth into Boris Johnson's ankles" in a bid to halt the now Prime Minister's chances of coming to power in 2014, unearthed reports reveal.
The announcement that Sir Mark Sedwill, the Cabinet Secretary and National Security Advisor, has quit can be seen as the most high profile indicator that a revolution will be sweeping through Whitehall over the next four years. Sir Mark will have to be replaced, under Civil Service Commission rules, by another permanent or former permanent secretary – but the new National Security Advisor, David Frost, is currently leading the Brexit negotiations with the EU and is a darling of the Vote Leave movement. Last week, Prime Minister Boris Johnson's controversial chief advisor Dominic Cummings was reported to have warned that a “hard rain” would soon fall on the civil service.

Moreover, during a lecture at the weekend, Minister for the Cabinet Office Michael Gove laid the intellectual groundwork for the shake-up, in which he set out what he regards as the main faults in the Whitehall machine.

Mr Gove, Mr Johnson and Mr Cummings appear to be showing a united front, driven forward by the belief the country needs deep reform to succeed in a post-Brexit world.

However, unearthed reports suggest that the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and the Prime Minister have not always been the best of friends.

On the contrary, their heated rivalry has simmered and boiled for more than six years.

According to a throwback report by The Spectator, in 2014, former Prime Minister David Cameron told Mr Gove to “sink his teeth into Boris’s ankles” in a bid to halt the former Mayor of London’s chances of becoming a future Tory leader.

A minister told the magazine that the former Education Secretary had become Mr Cameron’s “licensed bear-baiter”, given free rein to “wind up” Mr Johnson.

As Tory infighting reportedly broke out, Mr Johnson's aides were accused of launching a whispering campaign to undermine Mr Gove in retaliation.

Tensions were brought into the open when former Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne urged Mr Johnson to stand as an MP.

Mr Johnson’s friends apparently saw the request as an underhand attempt to bind the former Mayor’s fate to Mr Cameron and therefore reduce his chances of becoming leader.

Relations deteriorated further when Mr Gove announced at a dinner with Rupert Murdoch that he would have backed George Osborne in a future leadership contest over Mr Johnson.

According to the Spectator, there was a growing anti-Gove campaign within the ranks of the Tory party, supported by Mr Johnson’s friends.

The report claims the anti-Gove group was made up of Tory ministers and MPs resentful of his closeness and influence over Mr Cameron.

Other Conservatives were said to be irritated by Mr Gove’s tendency to interrogate other ministers in meetings.

Neither side disputed that there were real differences between Mr Gove and Mr Johnson on education.

However, one friend told the magazine: “There have been some genuine tensions over education.

"But it doesn’t account for all this madness.”

The Mayor demanded more power to intervene in failing schools in the capital – a request that was later rebuffed by Mr Gove.

The tensions between the former Education Secretary and Mr Johnson did not end there, though.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
The British propaganda channel BBC News lies again.
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
×