This morning just as Marr began his interview with Michael Gove we published the regulations, enforced by him when he was Secretary of State for Education, on the prohibition of teachers for misconduct. Gove’s had responsibility as the Secretary of State to regulate teachers’ conduct and to hold a list of teachers who have been prohibited from teaching. Included in the list of offences that would lead to a lifetime ban on teaching was “possession of class A drugs”. An offence that Gove admits to having committed many times.

Marr asked him did he bring in the rule change on “your watch”, Gove evaded answering the question directly, saying “no, I don’t believe so”. Which is what a politician says when he wants to give himself wriggle room. Gove had the power as Secretary of State for Education to ban teachers for life from teaching with a prohibition order. Possession of Class A drugs was grounds for a lifetime ban.

Gove also told Marr he couldn’t remember being asked the question of whether he took Class A drugs when travelling to the USA, and didn’t declare he had. Here is the visa question he will have had to answer when travelling to the USA:

Gove likewise claimed he had not been asked a direct question about drug use in the course of his vetting. Something most Whitehall veterans think unlikely…

At times during the interview Gove looked unusually uncomfortable having started out sounding confident. He trotted out some rehearsed contrite lines, by the end of the interview he seemed deflated. On the betting markets his odds lengthened…