Michael Gove just bought a 'how to be a government whip' guide

Michael Gove was busily preparing for his role as chief whip - well before the official announcement was made yesterday - by reading a self-help guide... for parliamentary whips.

In her column for the Daily Mail on Wednesday, Mr Gove's wife Sarah Vine revealed that the demoted education secretary returned home on Saturday with a copy of Chief Whip: The Role, History And Black Arts Of Parliamentary Whipping under his arm.

The volume, written by Margaret Thatcher's chief whip Tim Renton, purports to be "a fascinating study of the origins of the term and the characters who have held the office over the centuries".

According to the synopsis on Amazon, "[Renton] served as Margaret Thatcher's chief whip in the year before her downfall... The first part of this book is a memoir of Renton's period as chief whip, where he reveals new information about the fall of Margaret Thatcher and his role in it."

What exactly has Mr Gove got planned for his new job?

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