UK Cabinet Minister Gove dodges questions on mass press walkout from government briefing

In a recent interview with a British media outlet, British Cabinet Office Minister and Tory Party Member Michael Gove, who is also a former journalist himself dodged questions about the mass journalist walkout of the planned Downing Street briefing on February 3. When Gove was asked direct questions about if he would have walked out of Number 10 briefing when he was a journalist, he refused to answer.

Several reporters and a number of publications were excluded from the meeting with the UK Prime Minister chief Europe advisor David Frost, which had initially prompted the mass walkout. Gove, who has stood beside his colleagues in the past on critical issues, seemed to not have a clear answer when he was challenged in the interview.

The former journalist safely said because he was not in the room at the time the journalists decided to walk out, he 'won't pass judgement until he has heard from all of the people who were present there'. As the interviewer continued to push for an answer by mentioning a quote about journalism from the 1980s, Gove said he was '13 in the 1980s'.

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The interviewer mentioned Gove's time with the previous publications and then asked if he had walked out then. However, not providing a clear answer even then, Gove repeated saying that he was not in the room. The British politician stressed on the fact that he has made it a point not to pass judgement on disagreements where he was not present. However, he further gave an opportunity to the interviewer to ask any questions about other issues like climate change. 

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'Draw your own conclusions'

Moreover, he also ended his answer by saying he will 'not criticise or endorse either side'. However, still, if anyone wants to know about his opinions on such issues, that individual can read the articles he has previously written and 'draw your own conclusions'. 

This is also not the first interview where Gove has refrained from presenting an opinion on an issue. In his previous appearances with other publications, he also managed to deliver safe statements and repeated he 'wasn't in the room'. Similarly, Gove not only left many interviewers unimpressed but many people who had expected to know what the former journalist turned politician thinks about the present journalism in Britain. 

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(With Agency Inputs)