I’ll ban slacker councils from bringing in 4-day week, says Michael Gove as he blasts town hall staff who skive on job
MICHAEL Gove today reveals how he aims to outlaw slacker councils from bringing in the four-day week — as he blasts town hall staff who skive on the job.
In an exclusive interview with The Sun on Sunday, the top Cabinet minister disclosed that he is looking into a law change to prevent such “quiet quitting” at local authorities.
He insists councils adopting a four-day week, such as Lib Dem-run South Cambs — and Labour-run Norwich, which wants to — could face funding cuts if they flout the ban.
On the eve of the Conservative Party conference, Mr Gove fumed: “People who pay council tax work five days a week or longer.
“They deserve 100 per cent of the service, not 80 per cent. The idea that everyone should be slacking in this way at the expense of hard-working taxpayers is completely wrong.
“In lockdown, it was important to make sure people, where possible, could work from home. That’s because we had a global pandemic.
“It’s not a lifestyle shift — slacking, quiet quitting, all the rest of it. That is just a way of having some people maintain their quality of life at the expense of others.”
In a punchy sit-down in his Whitehall offices, he also:
- LET rip at Labour and branded Sir Keir Starmer “spineless and condescending”;
- VOWED to unleash his “inner Thatcher” and make sure more Brits get on the housing ladder;
- BET The Sun on Sunday £100 that the Tories would win the next election;
- ADMITTED immigration and taxes were “too high” and must fall;
- SPILT the beans on his friendship with Boris Johnson and said never rule out a comeback by the ex-PM, and;
- BLAMED school lockdowns for the anti-social behaviour and teen knife crime sweeping Britain.
The Tories are heading into their annual conference in Manchester 20 points behind in the polls and on the ropes.
But Mr Gove is surprisingly bullish.
There is a path to victory next year, he insists. Going studs-up on Labour, he says leader Sir Keir has shown he cannot be trusted on Brexit by revealing, on a recent trip to Canada, that he wants closer EU ties.
He accused the “spineless” Labour chief of promising to do one thing — only to rip up his pledges and do just the opposite.
Mr Gove said: “Keir is condescending. The thing with Keir is, he is more concerned with what the North London dinner party circuit thinks of him than he is about delivering change for real people.”
He said Sir Keir pretended to support house-building while at the same time teaming up with rich “dukes and the woke brigade” to block moves to axe EU eco rules — known as nutrient neutrality — to allow new homes to be put up.
Mr Gove mocked: “Keir said he would be a builder not a blocker.
“But when the chance came to vote as a builder, he listened to Ed Miliband, the Just Stop Oil crew and the pressure groups.
“He put virtue signalling ahead of getting people onto the housing ladder. It’s the same with Brexit.
“He would far rather [Canadian PM] Justin Trudeau and the leader of the Belgian social liberals think well of him than actually keeping faith with the people who voted to leave the European Union. He’s transparent, spineless and moved by any tide that comes along.”
Mr Gove warned that the failure to build new housing leaves hard-working nurses, police officers and teachers unable to get on the property ladder.
His first bid to ditch that nutrient neutrality rules and build new homes failed in the House of Lords. But Mr Gove is considering bringing in a new Bill in the upcoming King’s Speech.
He’s transparent, spineless and moved by any tide that comes along. Blair was steak, Keir is Quorn mush.
Gove on Starmer
In explosive comments, he also hit out at wealthy foreign speculators for buying up British homes and causing prices to rocket.
And he suggested a new foreign property tax should be introduced.
Mr Gove said: “We need to consider what the right way is of making sure that people who are not British citizens pay a fair whack for the right to have a property here.”
Pointing to Canada and Singapore, which have similar levies, he said: “They put their own people first — and so should we.”
As Levelling Up Secretary, Mr Gove is in the line of fire if PM Rishi Sunak decides to scrap the Manchester leg of HS2.
But he refuses to criticise his boss.
He said: “I think that HS2 is one of those projects which is visionary. But it is absolutely vital that we don’t allow one project to crowd out the investment that we need elsewhere.”
And despite being the man who banned nearly all single-use plastic in government, he also backs the PM for putting the brakes on some net zero targets.
He added: “The critical thing is balance.”
Mr Gove pointed out, however, that he believed it would have “been a mistake” to ditch the overall 2050 Net Zero target.
Elsewhere, he is more critical of the Government’s record.
Immigration and taxes are both “too high” and must come down, he said.
And the UK should not rule out quitting the European Court of Human Rights if the Rwanda flights scheme fails to get off the ground this year.
“I think every option has to be on the table,” the Tory big hitter explains.
“I don’t think we should go looking to leave anything or to have a fight with anyone. Absolutely not.
“But the overriding imperative is to do the right thing by the British people.” On taxes, he said: “I’d love to cut as many taxes as possible. I think people want to see the tax burden brought down.”
First elected as an MP in 2005, Mr Gove is one of only a handful of Cabinet ministers who were around in Parliament during the New Labour era.
Many reckon Labour will soon be back in No10, but Mr Gove shakes his head at such a prospect and insists Mr Sunak can defy the experts and lead the Tories to a victory in the next election.
Putting his money where his mouth is, he bets The Sun on Sunday £100 that the Tories will win — and predicts a 25 seat majority.
So how does Sir Keir compare to the last Labour leader to win at the ballot box — Tony Blair?
Flashing a grin, Mr Gove said: “Keir Starmer is the zero alcohol beer compared to Blair’s Moretti . . . bland, flabby.
“There are some politicians who are accused of being all sizzle no steak. Blair was definitely steak. And Keir is just quorn mush.”
Gove on Boris
MICHAEL Gove is patching up his relationship with his old frenemy Boris Johnson.
And he said you can never rule out the former PM making a shock return to politics.
The two Tory big beasts had been pals since their Oxford University days.
But they spectacularly fell out last summer out when Mr Gove told Mr Johnson he had lost the confidence of his party and should quit No10.
Furious Boris sacked his friend — but then resigned two days later.
Mr Gove said they recently caught up at a wedding and spoke about “life and the universe”.
He added: “I suspect it will be easier for me and Boris to have a longer chat when I am no longer a minister.”
He also said: “You can never predict what Boris will do in the future.”
Gove on lockdown
CLOSING schools during the Covid pandemic may have been a mistake, Michael Gove fears.
He blamed lockdowns for fuelling the rise of teenage knife crime and anti-social behaviour.
His comments came after Elianne Andam, 15, was stabbed to death on her way to school in Croydon, South London.
Mr Gove was very pro-lockdown but said he now feels “personal responsibility” for the toll it has taken on kids’ lives.
He said: “Post-lockdown, we have seen more children, particularly teenagers, not in school.
“Truancy and persistent absence overwhelmingly leads to anti-social behaviour, the lure of gang life, county lines and other criminal activity.”
Asked if it was a mistake to close schools, he said: “I worry about that a lot.”
Gove on dancing
FAVOURITE DANCE SONG: Feel So Close by Calvin Harris (Mr Gove was in a club in Ibiza when Harris performed it last summer).
PEOPLE YOU’D LIKE GO TO THE PUB WITH: Eric Morecambe, Ken Dodd, Victoria Wood.
LABOUR MP YOU’D BE MOST LIKELY TO HAVE A PINT WITH: Emily Thornberry.
CABINET POSITION YOU WOULD MOST WANT: Secretary of State Scotland
LAST GOOD THING YOU WATCHED ON TELLY: Ahsoka (Star Wars series).
REVELATION: Has never been asked to go on Strictly, Bake Off or I’m a Celebrity.