Michael Gove might earn another promotion – if he drops the bizarre impressions

The levelling up minister’s TV interview was not his first unusual moment as Sean O’Grady explains

Gove dismissed suggestions that he is among cabinet members opposed to tearing up the Northern Ireland protocol (PA)

Once upon a time, Michael Gove was briefly an actor and an early pioneer of “right-wing” satire on short-lived Channel 4 programme A Shot in the Dark. A product of the channel’s unique set-up – soon to be scrapped by the government – Gove was an accomplished alternative-alternative performer. His performance on Wednesday morning’s media round suggests he might like to return to those days.

Aside from casually undermining the housing target in the Conservative manifesto, during one interview he launched himself into a dazzling display of mixed metaphors and funny accents including a homage to Harry Enfield’s take on scousers and a passable impression of an American news announcer. He was making a point about how the media can get a story all wrong, but it lost something in the telling.

It’s not the first sign of unusual activity. Some weeks ago he appeared to have “lost it” at the despatch box after a chorus of criticisms from opposition MPs about the failure of the Ukraine refugee scheme.