Former education and housing secretary Michael Gove has taken his seat in the House of Lords, which he once suggested could be moved to Stoke-on-Trent.
The Tory veteran, who was handed a peerage in Rishi Sunak’s resignation honours list, wore the traditional scarlet robes for the short introduction ceremony at Westminster, where he swore the oath of allegiance to the King.
Lord Gove was supported by close allies and fellow Conservative peers Baroness Finn and Lord Vaizey of Didcot.
As he left the chamber, Lord Gove laughed loudly at a whispered comment made by leader of the Lords Baroness Smith of Basildon as she welcomed him to the upper chamber.
The politician, who had been MP for Surrey Heath since 2005, was among the most high-profile members of the Conservative Party to call time on his Commons career at the last election.
He cited the “toll” of public office as he said it was time to let “a new generation lead” following a political career spanning nearly 20 years.
He conceded he had “undoubtedly made mistakes” throughout his political career but said he had always “tried to be a voice for those who have been overlooked and undervalued”.
Lord Gove became editor of the Spectator magazine last year.
The peer – who served in the governments of David Cameron, Theresa May, Boris Johnson and Mr Sunak – was a journalist before he became an MP.
A political survivalist whose career has been marked by numerous comebacks to the front line, he first entered Lord Cameron’s Cabinet as education secretary before siding against him on the Vote Leave campaign during the 2016 referendum.
He then backed Mr Johnson to become the new Conservative leader before launching his own unsuccessful bid for the top job.
When Mrs May took office, he spent a spell in the political wilderness before returning as environment secretary after she lost the Conservative majority in 2017. He then joined Mr Johnson’s top team following the 2019 election.
Mr Gove was sacked by Mr Johnson after telling the then-prime minister that his time in Downing Street was up as the government fell apart in 2022.
But he returned afterwards to Cabinet, throwing his weight behind Mr Sunak’s leadership campaign.
When in Government he sparked controversy after he suggested the upper chamber could move to Stoke-on-Trent during the multibillion-pound restoration of the parliamentary estate.
The then levelling up secretary put forward the idea after ruling out the Queen Elizabeth II Centre, which is just a few minutes’ walk from the Palace of Westminster in London, as an alternative location.
It led former Lord Speaker Lord Fowler to accuse him of acting “like a 19th century mill owner”.
