Vengeful Boris Johnson denied Michael Gove a knighthood over a fresh leadership betrayal, it was claimed today.
The ousted Prime Minister planned to give his on-off pal a gong in his resignation honours list.
However, he performed another U-turn after blaming his fellow Vote Leave Brexiteer for persuading Kemi Badenoch to support Rishi Sunak in the autumn Tory leadership contest.
The move was widely seen as torpedoing Mr Johnson’s bid for an unlikely No10 comeback.
Mr Johnson choosing not to make Mr Gove a Sir is the latest twist in their volatile relationship.
The pair toured the country in spring 2016 pressing the case for quitting the EU.
When they emerged victorious in the early hours of June 24, Mr Johnson was hotly tipped to become the next PM - backed by Mr Gove.
But within days, Mr Johnson was forced to abandon his tilt for No10 after his one-time ally scrapped his support and launched a vain bid for the job himself.
The pair were reconciled in July 2019 when Mr Johnson eventually entered Downing Street and made Mr Gove Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.
Yet their relationship came unstuck once again when, last June, Mr Gove told the-then PM his premiership was doomed as a host of ministers resigned.
In the dying hours of his reign, Mr Johnson sacked Mr Gove.
The Tory duo were thought to have made up their differences over the summer.
But, by the autumn, Mr Gove was urging his protege Mrs Badenoch to throw her weight behind Mr Sunak’s leadership bid after Liz Truss - who won the summer Conservative leadership contest - was forced to quit.
Mrs Badenoch’s backing was seen as crucial because it thwarted Mr Johnson’s hopes of a sensational return to power.
A source told The Times that Mr Gove was then stripped from the list of people Mr Johnson had nominated for a knighthood.
The claim was not denied by the former PM’s spokesman.
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