"I think she’s gorgeous. I do worry, though"
Former Conservative minister Michael Gove admitted searching online for images of “gorgeous” Shabana Mahmood, confessing he has a crush on the Home Secretary.
Gove made the candid remarks during an appearance on BBC Radio 4’s Matt Forde Focus Group.
He described Mahmood as “gorgeous” and “fantastic”.
On whether his admiration was political or personal, Gove replied: “Both.”
Elaborating on his admiration for Mahmood, Gove said:
“I think she’s gorgeous. I do worry, though, that if Shabana Mahmood had access to my browsing history, she would discover that quite a lot of my browsing is me typing in ‘Shabana Mahmood images’ or ‘Shabana Mahmood history’.
“I’m a huge fan. I’ll have to tell my girlfriend about this.”
Gove served in multiple ministerial positions between 2010 and 2024 before returning to journalism. In 2024, he became editor of The Spectator, marking a return to his original profession.
His personal life has also been under public scrutiny. He was married to Daily Mail columnist Sarah Vine for 20 years before their divorce in 2021. The couple share two children.
Following the split, Gove was photographed in a London restaurant with his then partner, Dr Lola Salem, an Oxford lecturer more than 25 years his junior.
Shabana Mahmood, who has been a Labour MP since 2010, was appointed Home Secretary in September 2025 and has since become a central figure in government policy.
Her personal life remains largely private, with reports indicating she prefers not to publicly discuss her relationship status.
Born in Birmingham to Kashmiri Pakistani parents, Mahmood has spoken openly about the role of faith in her life.
In a 2024 interview, she said: “My faith is the centre point of my life, and it drives me to public service, it drives me in the way that I live my life and I see my life.”
She is also associated with the Blue Labour faction, which emphasises socially conservative values within the party.
Michael Gove has previously expressed strong support for Mahmood’s political approach. During an interview at the Labour Party conference in September 2025, he praised her defence of the Government’s proposed digital identification scheme.
“I think that’s the single best case that any government minister has made for this policy,” he said, prompting applause from the audience.
The exchange highlighted an unusual alignment between the Conservative politician and the Labour Home Secretary, particularly on issues relating to state policy and governance.
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