Michael Gove has declared that he is the best candidate to take on Jeremy Corbyn, talking up his own role in the Leave campaign and claiming he will seize control of the machinery of government to deliver Brexit.

The Environment Secretary is telling MPs that he is a "unity" candidate with the "vision" and proven "grip" over government departments that will enable him to secure the UK's departure from the UK and reverse the Conservatives' decline in the polls.

Mr Gove, whom supporters who publicly announced his candidacy this morning, told a private dinner of MPs last week that while Boris Johnson was the main face of the Vote Leave campaign, he was entrusted with some of the highest pressure television debates which would also feature in a general election.

His pitch was also focused on how he had run three government departments since the Conservatives came to power in 2010, contrasting his experience leading education, justice and environmental reforms with that of other candidates.

Mr Johnson, whose 2016 leadership campaign ended when Mr Gove quit as campaign manager to launch his own bid, ran the Foreign Office for two years, while Dominic Raab, the former Brexit Secretary, was in cabinet for four months.