The MP for Surrey Heath, who replaces Andrea Leadsom in the department, was first elected to the House of Commons in May 2005.

Gove held the justice portfolio up until last year. However, following Theresa May’s election last year he was demoted from the position after he withdrew his support from Boris Johnson, who was in the running to become leader of the Conservative Party. Instead, he announced he would run for the leadership position himself.

He has previously held the education portfolio.

He took a prominent role in the campaign to leave the European Union, as co-convenor of the “leave” campaign committee.

After leaving government in July 2016, he helped found Change Britain and serves as vice chair of the select committee on exiting the European Union.

Gove was born in Edinburgh in 1967 and brought up in Aberdeen. He is married to Sarah Vine, who is a columnist at The Daily Mail.

Andrea Leadsom moves on

Meanwhile, May has appointed Andrea Leadsom as lord president of the council and leader of the Commons.

Leadsom ran against May last year in the Tory leadership battle.

Representing South Northamptonshire, she previously served as minister of state at the department of energy and climate change from May 2015, as well as economic secretary to the treasury from April 2014, and during the EU membership referendum campaigned on the “leave” side.