MICHAEL Gove is splitting from his wife Sarah Vine after 20 years of marriage.
The couple have “agreed to separate” and are “in the process of finalising their divorce”.
Friends said the pair had drifted apart and there was no one else involved in the split.
The pair married in 2001 and have two kids, Beatrice, 18, and William, 16.
A spokesperson for the couple said this evening: “Michael and Sarah have agreed to separate and they are in the process of finalising their divorce.They will continue to support their two children and they remain close friends.
"The family politely ask for privacy at this time and will not be providing any further comment."
Read our Michael Gove live blog for the latest news and updates…
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SARAH VINE RECENTLY WROTE ARTICLE ABOUT HOW POLITICS WRECKS MARRIAGES
Michael Gove recently addressed his wife's searing account of how the temptations of political life can lay waste to years of marriage – insisting he "just gets on with the job".
In what was a devastating attack on shamed cheater Matt Hancock, journalist and self-styled "Westminster wag" Sarah Vine used her weekly newspaper column to describe how the swagger of ministerial life can wreck a relationship.
The Mail on Sunday columnist wrote that MPs get so addicted to the adrenaline rush of power they soon become bored of home life.
But she added: "The problem with the wife who's been with you for ever is that she knows you're not the Master of the Universe."
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HOW DID GOVE AND VINE FIRST MEET EACH OTHER?
Gove and Vine first fell in love when they both worked as journalists on the Times newspaper in 1999.
Just two years after their first meeting, they tied the knot.
They went onto become one of the most high-profile couples in Wesminister circles.
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MICHAEL GOVE AND WIFE SARAH VINE ‘FINALISING DIVORCE’ FOLLOWING 20 YEARS OF MARRIAGE
Michael Gove is splitting from his wife Sarah Vine after 20 years of marriage, it was revealed last night.
The couple have “agreed to separate” and are “in the process of finalising their divorce” after weeks of rumours swirling around Westminster.
Last night, a spokesperson for the couple said: “Michael and Sarah have agreed to separate and they are in the process of finalising their divorce.
“They will continue to support their two children and they remain close friends.
“The family politely ask for privacy at this time and will not be providing any further comment.”
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MICHAEL AND SARAH DRIFTED APART SAYS FRIEND
A friend of the couple told the PA news agency that the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Michael Gove and his wife Sarah Vine had “drifted apart”.
“This is a difficult and sad decision for Michael and Sarah after 20 years of marriage,” the friend said.
“It is an entirely amicable separation and there is no-one else involved.
“They have drifted apart over the past couple of years but they remain friends.
“Their absolute priority is the children.”
- Harvey Lindsay
EXPLAINED: DO MICHAEL AND SARAH HAVE CHILDREN?
The couple share a son, William, and daughter, Beatrice. But Gove and his partner have decided to part ways.
Friends said the pair had drifted apart and there was no one else involved in the split.
A spokesperson for the couple said this evening: “Michael and Sarah have agreed to separate and they are in the process of finalising their divorce.
"They will continue to support their two children and they remain close friends.
"The family politely ask for privacy at this time and will not be providing any further comment."
- Harvey Lindsay
EXPLAINED: WHO IS MICHAEL GOVE'S WIFE SARAH VINE?
Ms Vine was born in April 1967, making her 54 years old.
She is married to politician Michael Gove who was in the race to become Prime Minister before Boris Johnson took the role.
According to her Twitter account, Ms Vine is an animal lover who is the "trustee of a charity which rescues puppies and dogs from all over the world and brings them to the UK for a better life".
In 2013, Vine became a columnist for the British tabloid newspaper the Daily Mail. Some of her detailed accounts of her personal life have been controversial.
She is also godmother to former Prime Minister David Cameron's daughter Florence and has spoken of her "close friendship" with the former PM and his wife which included many family holidays together.
- Harvey Lindsay
IS MICHAEL GOVE MARRIED?
Michael Gove married Sarah Vine, a columnist for the Daily Mail, in 2001.
She was believed to be influential in steering her husband's political career.
Sarah came out in favour of Leave in the UK referendum on EU membership.
But it has been revealed that the pair have decided to split up after 20 years of marriage.
Friends said the pair had drifted apart and there was no one else involved in the split.
- Harvey Lindsay
EXPLAINED: WHAT IS GOVE'S ROLE IN THE CABINET?
The primary role of the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster is to provide income for the queen – the role includes administering the estates and rents of the Duchy of Lancaster, but doesn’t actually play much of a role in the day-to-day management of the estates of the royals.
Key aspects of the job include, advising the PM on developing and implementing government policy, driving forward government business and implementation including chairing and deputy chairing Cabinet, committees and implementation taskforces.
Another key role of the job is overseeing devolution consequences of EU exit and overseeing constitutional affairs and maintaining the integrity of the Union.
Under Boris Johnson as PM, Gove was instructed to "turbo-boost" plans for a no-deal Brexit.
Along with Chancellor of the Exchequer Sajid Javid, Gove was tasked with pouring his full efforts into Brexit negotiations.
- Harvey Lindsay
EXPLAINED: WHO IS MICHAEL GOVE?
Michael Gove was born in Edinburgh in 1967 and brought up in Aberdeen.
Gove was appointed Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster in Boris Johnson's new Cabinet two years ago. He worked as a journalist upon leaving Oxford university, writing for local and national newspapers and appearing on radio and TV.
He worked at The Times, writing a weekly column for the newspaper. He has a son, William, and daughter, Beatrice. Gove was elected as an MP for Surrey Heath in 2005.
He went on to become Secretary of State for Education in 2010, Chief Whip in 2014 and Lord Chancellor, Secretary of State for Justice in 2015, before he was dismissed by Theresa May.
Following the 2017 General Election he was brought back with his appointment as Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
- Harvey Lindsay
'DIFFICULT DECISION AFTER 20 YEARS OF MARRIAGE' SAYS FRIEND OF COUPLE
A friend of the couple said: "This is a difficult and sad decision for Michael and Sarah after twenty years of marriage.
"It is an entirely amicable separation and there is no one else involved. They have drifted apart over the past couple of years but they remain friends. Their absolute priority is the children."
- Harvey Lindsay
SARAH VINE SAID TO HAVE BEEN IN WALES WITH CHILDREN AND FRIENDS
Ms Vine is thought to have spent the past few days in Wales with children and some of their friends.
In a podcast for Femail, released just yesterday, she spoke about how men let their "egos destroy their families", but added: "I genuinely think that people have a right to live their own lives, however they want it, and should be allowed to make their own mistakes."
- Harvey Lindsay
VINE SUGGESTED WESTMINSTER COMES BETWEEN POLITICIANS AND THEIR FAMILIES
In a piece about former health secretary Matt Hancock's resignation, Vine write about how Westminster life can drive a wedge between partners.
In a revealing column, she said: "It is very hard to do these high-level, high-pressure, high-stakes jobs unless you have someone prepared to take up the reins in every other department of your life.
"But the problem is that inevitably sets you on different tracks. You become so entrenched in your respective roles that you begin to drift apart.
"Westminster is a place of myriad distractions for the politician seeking refuge from his or her home life.
"And when you feel disconnected like that, and because power is such an aphrodisiac, it doesn’t take a huge leap of imagination to see how you can go from being happily married to the kind of person who gets caught so unfortunately on CCTV. Hancock’s behaviour may be shocking, but given the context it is entirely predictable."
- Harvey Lindsay
MICHAEL GOVE SEEN LEAVING FAMILY HOME IN KENSINGTON WITH TWO SUITCASES – REPORTS
The couple were spotted by neighbours leaving their house in Kensington at different times on Friday, The Daily Telegraph reported tonight.
Mr Gove was carrying two heavy cases, which were loaded into his car, and Ms Vine loaded several into a grey SUV with her son, and left the house.
One ovbserver told the paper: “It’s all very sad. In recent days they have come and gone separately, as if they live completely independent lives already.
"I feel sorry for their children to be honest.”
- Harvey Lindsay
FAMILY ASK FOR 'PRIVACY' DURING DIFFICULT TIME, SAYS SPOKESPERSON
A spokesperson for the couple said this evening: “Michael and Sarah have agreed to separate and they are in the process of finalising their divorce.
"They will continue to support their two children and they remain close friends.
"The family politely ask for privacy at this time and will not be providing any further comment."
- Harvey Lindsay
'DIFFICULT DECISION AFTER 20 YEARS OF MARRIAGE' SAYS FRIEND OF COUPLE
A friend of the couple said: "This is a difficult and sad decision for Michael and Sarah after twenty years of marriage.
"It is an entirely amicable separation and there is no one else involved. They have drifted apart over the past couple of years but they remain friends. Their absolute priority is the children."
- Harvey Lindsay
EXPLAINED: MICHAEL GOVE AND SARAH VINE HAVE CHILDREN?
The couple share a son, William, and daughter, Beatrice.
But Gove and his partner have decided to part ways
Friends said the pair had drifted apart and there was no one else involved in the split.
A spokesperson for the couple said this evening: “Michael and Sarah have agreed to separate and they are in the process of finalising their divorce.
"They will continue to support their two children and they remain close friends. The family politely ask for privacy at this time and will not be providing any further comment."
- Olivia Burke
WHAT HAPPENED WHEN GOVE WENT TO PORTUGAL?
Michael Gove was accused of bending isolation rules after watching the Champions League final in Portugal.
The Cabinet minister came under fire after he was pinged by Test and Trace on his way back from Porto — but turned up for work at Downing Street the next day.
Aides insisted he was taking part in a pilot scheme that means he could stay at his desk provided he regularly tests negative.
But shadow sports minister Alison McGovern said it was unfair Mr Gove would not have to self-isolate in the same way as ordinary fans who might also have received an alert.
She said: “Doesn’t that sound like one rule for him and one rule for everybody else?”
- Olivia Burke
WHO IS MICHAEL GOVE'S WIFE SARAH VINE?
Ms Vine was born in April 1967, making her 54 years old.
She is married to politician Michael Gove who was in the race to become Prime Minister before Boris Johnson took the role.
According to her Twitter account, Ms Vine is an animal lover who is the "trustee of a charity which rescues puppies and dogs from all over the world and brings them to the UK for a better life".
In 2013, Vine became a columnist for the British tabloid newspaper the Daily Mail. Some of her detailed accounts of her personal life have been controversial.
She is also godmother to former Prime Minister David Cameron's daughter Florence and has spoken of her "close friendship" with the former PM and his wife which included many family holidays together.
Credit: Ray Collins – The Sun - Olivia Burke
COUPLE’S ‘ABSOLUTE PRIORITY IS THEIR CHILDREN’
A friend of the couple told the PA news agency that the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Michael Gove and his wife Sarah Vine had “drifted apart”.
“This is a difficult and sad decision for Michael and Sarah after 20 years of marriage,” the friend said.
“It is an entirely amicable separation and there is no-one else involved.
“They have drifted apart over the past couple of years but they remain friends.
“Their absolute priority is the children.”
- Harvey Lindsay
MICHAEL GOVE AND SARAH VINE SEEN AS HUGELY INFLUENTIAL
Mr Gove and Ms Vine are seen as hugely influential within the Conservative Party, with Ms Vine godmother to one of David Cameron's children.
The two women are reported to have fallen out after Mr Gove's decision to back the Vote Leave campaign during the Brexit referendum.
Mr Cameron was forced to resign after the UK voted to leave the EU.
- Harvey Lindsay
SARAH VINE SPEAKS OUT ON MATT HANCOCK SCANDAL IN COLUMN
In her Mail On Sunday column, she added: “Ministers are surrounded by people telling them how brilliant they are. Their departments treat them like feudal barons. Their every whim is treated as law. No one ever says No to them.
“How can anyone be expected to put the bins out when they’ve just got home from a day saving the world? Domestic life can seem dull and dispiriting by comparison. And so, they begin to avoid it. It doesn’t take a huge leap of imagination to see how you can go from being happily married to the kind of person who gets caught so unfortunately on CCTV.”
- Olivia Burke
WHY ARE MICHAEL GOVE AND SARAH VINE GETTING A DIVORCE?
Michael Gove and his wife Sarah Vine have “agreed to separate” and are “in the process of finalising their divorce” after weeks of rumours swirling around Westminster.
Friends said the pair had drifted apart and there was no one else involved in the split.
Ms Vine is a columnist and writer for the Daily Mail.
The pair married in 2001 and have two kids, Beatrice, 18, and William, 16.
It makes Mr Gove the second Cabinet minister to split from their partner in a week, after Matt Hancock left his wife Martha for aide Gina Coladangelo.
- Harvey Lindsay
GOVE IS SECOND CABINET MINISTER TO SPLIT FROM WIFE IN SPACE OF A WEEK
It makes Mr Gove the second Cabinet minister to split from their partner in a week, after Matt Hancock left his wife Martha for aide Gina Coladangelo following the Sun’s revealing of their affair.
- Harvey Lindsay
MICHAEL AND SARAH DRIFTED APART SAYS FRIEND
A friend of the couple told the PA news agency that the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Michael Gove and his wife Sarah Vine had “drifted apart”.
“This is a difficult and sad decision for Michael and Sarah after 20 years of marriage,” the friend said.
“It is an entirely amicable separation and there is no-one else involved.
“They have drifted apart over the past couple of years but they remain friends.
“Their absolute priority is the children.”
- Harvey Lindsay
EXPLAINED: DO MICHAEL AND SARAH HAVE CHILDREN?
The couple share a son, William, and daughter, Beatrice. But Gove and his partner have decided to part ways.
Friends said the pair had drifted apart and there was no one else involved in the split.
A spokesperson for the couple said this evening: “Michael and Sarah have agreed to separate and they are in the process of finalising their divorce.
"They will continue to support their two children and they remain close friends.
"The family politely ask for privacy at this time and will not be providing any further comment."
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