Michael Gove has refused to rule out being the source of reported comments made by the Queen on the EU referendum.

During a Brexit campaign visit in Hampshire on Saturday, the justice secretary said: “I don’t know how the Sun got all of its information.”



Buckingham Palace has lodged a formal complaint with the Independent Press Standards Organisation (Ipso) about the report, which appeared under the headline “Queen backs Brexit”.

Gove added that the Ipso investigation was a “matter for them” and refused to say if he would cooperate with it.

Pressed on whether it was unfair to drag the Queen into the row about Britain’s future in the EU, he replied: “I’ve already said that enough has been said about this story so I don’t think it’s appropriate to say any more than I’ve already said and others have already said.”

Asked if he thought the Queen would be pleased to see him when he next had an audience with her, he replied: “I don’t know. I wouldn’t speculate on a matter like that.”

Sources close to Gove said: “Michael did not brief this story.”



His spokesman had previously insisted: “We don’t comment on private conversations with the Queen.”