The pair led the victorious Vote Leave campaign in 2016 before Gove torpedoed Johnson’s leadership bid

Michael Gove has thrown down the gauntlet to Boris Johnson, announcing that he will fight him for the Tory crown because he has a better “track record” and is more “capable” of delivering Brexit.

The environment secretary will electrify the contest and argue that he should lead rather than his Vote Leave ally, whose campaign he dramatically torpedoed in 2016.

Speaking outside his home in west London this morning, Gove, who faced criticism from Brexiteers for backing Theresa May’s deal, said he could “confirm that I will be putting my name forward to be prime minister of this country. I believe that I’m ready to unite the Conservative and Union Party, ready to deliver Brexit, and ready to lead this great country.”

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