Michael Gove and I once spent a day filming in an enormous sex shop – he'd make a fantastic Prime Minister

Someone will very shortly dig out the archive of Michael doing his 'piece to camera' in front of a troupe of gay men in leather shorts dancing round Soho, delivering the line 'Out, Loud and Proud…' as punchily as he could in his soft Aberdonian accent

Michael Gove gives a speech at the Vote Leave campaign headquarters in Westminster on June 8 (Getty)

When I heard on Radio 5 Live that Michael Gove is to run for the Tory leadership, I admit I was delighted. Many years ago I, and in fact my Independent colleague John Rentoul, worked together on a BBC Sunday lunchtime politics show called On the Record. You may remember it; it was the one with the crocodile opening credits. I remember vividly when the editor of the show, Glenwyn Benson, told us we were getting a talented new reporter to join the team, in about 1992 or so. Great, I thought, thinking of the usual wizened, red-nosed but well-connected lobby hack of the era. Instead this child walked into the production office: rather tweedy, extremely courteous, but just so unprepossessing.

Well, we all soon learned what a brilliant journalist Michael was, and he possessed in abundance all the qualities that are supposed to be required – inquisitiveness, love of gossip (he had some superb dirt on Tory MPs, some of whom are now in the cabinet with him), knowledge, contacts and, of course, wit. Late nights in the edit suite ploughing through backbencher interviews and soundbites from experts were a joy, no less. If he does get the job he will be the most naturally charming person to hang out in Number 10, and there have been some real smoothies as well as ogres round there.

I was in doubt, though, about Michael’s political instincts. Later on I did some research for him on his biography of Michael Portillo, subtitled “the Future of the Right”, published during the Major government. In it, the admiration for Portillo and Portillo’s then clear-blue thinking – contrasted with John Major’s fudges and trimming – was quite apparent. Michael struck me as both an ardent Thatcherite, including the usual dosage of Euroscepticism, and an enthusiastic (Ulster) Unionist, of distinctly orange hue, as well as that unusual creature even then, a Scottish Tory.

On the other hand, he was socially liberal. Difficult as it may be for me to believe now, we spent a happy few hours together filming round Old Compton Street in the run-up to the vote in parliament on lowering the age of consent for gay men from 18 to 16. Like most of us, Michael seemed entirely relaxed on the subject, and overwhelmingly tolerant and decent about race, gender and sexual politics. Exploring the basement of what was called “Britain's First Gay Supermarket” together – this was basically an enormous sex shop – surrounded by assorted toys, stimulants and novelty outfits, I really had little inkling that the giggling figure next to me would one day be Prime Minister of the United Kingdom taking us out of the European Union. But there is video evidence – someone will very shortly dig out the archive of Michael doing his “piece to camera” in front of a troupe of gay men in leather shorts dancing round Soho, delivering the line “Out, Loud and Proud…” as punchily as he could in his soft Aberdonian accent.

The nation will be very fortunate indeed to have Michael Gove as Tory leader. He is exceptionally clever, gloriously articulate, politically principled (well, as much as any of them are) and quite an operator. An unkind observer might take the view that he used David Cameron to get himself into the cabinet, and then used Boris Johnson to get himself in a position to challenge for the leadership. It is vastly more complicated than that, but even if it were entirely true, it doesn’t matter – that’s politics. If you take the view that Boris will fail to win the leadership because of his “flamboyant” tendencies when put up against the calm Theresa May, then you need a version of Boris without that shortcoming. We know now who that is.