NOW GOVE QUITS! MINISTER'S SHOCK EXIT ROCKS TORIES

TORY big beast Michael Gove has sensationally quit as an MP in a fresh blow to Rishi Sunak.

- Sam Lister

The controversial Cabinet minister became the latest Conservative to go in a record-breaking pre-election exodus.

Mr Gove, who served under four different Prime Ministers during a two-decades-long career, played a key role in Brexit.

Seen as a great political survivor, Mr Gove's career thrived despite the infamous bust-up with Boris Johnson when he stood for party leader against his ally in 2016. In a letter to his local party, Mr Gove said: "I also know the toll office can take, as do those closest to me. No one in politics is a conscript. We are volunteers who willingly choose our fate. And the chance to serve is wonderful. But there comes a moment when you know that it is time to leave. That a new generation should lead."

Mr Gove has been one of the most controversial and powerful Tories in a generation.

Known for his reforming zeal, he took on what he dubbed "the blob" in the education sector in a bid to raise standards in state schools.

A former chief whip and ex-Justice Secretary, he served in the Cabinet under four PMs, most lately as Levelling-Up Secretary.

Even Mr Johnson, who fell out with Mr Gove when he knifed him during the post-Brexit leadership contest, gave him a senior role.

The announcement was a shock, with Mr Gove the only Cabinet minister enthusiastic about an early election, telling the Prime Minister: "Who dares wins".