Gove says second indyref will happen if Scots 'desire'
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Asked for his assessment of the current state of the union, Mr Gove said he did not believe Scottish independence was on the agenda at present.
'But I do not think for a moment that anyone should assume any degree of complacency about the union,' he said. 'The union is a living thing. It is not a historical artefact, and every day politicians and society generally have to work—if we believe that we are better together—in order to demonstrate that.'
Asked if he thought there would be a second referendum, Mr Gove said: 'I do not believe that it is necessary at the moment. I think if there is an overwhelming desire on the part of the Scottish people for one, then we would have to review the situation.'
Pressed on how he would define that 'overwhelming desire', he said it would be for the UK Government to decide.
Mr Gove was also asked about the refusal of successive Conservative governments — of which he was part — to grant a Section 30 order, which would devolve the powers for a second referendum to Holyrood.
'I did not think it was anti-democratic,' he said. 'I think it was the case that, with the referendum in 2014, people had made the point that it was a decision that was there for a generation.
'But more than that, as I have argued, there are urgent questions that need to be addressed—urgent questions about the economic regeneration of the whole country, and urgent questions about improving public services in Scotland—that, to me, are more important than some of these constitutional questions.'
Kevin Nisbet scored twice for Aberdeen to snatch a point against Dundee United (Image: SNS) The soon-to-be Torry baron also drew a comparison between the Scottish Conservatives and Aberdeen Football Club.
Polls suggest Russell Findlay's party could be pushed into fourth place at next year's Holyrood election, with Nigel Farage's Reform party set to overtake them as the principal opposition.
Meanwhile, Aberdeen have endured a turbulent season, finishing fifth in the league but still heading to Hampden next week to face Celtic in the Scottish Cup final.
'I think if you have been in politics for a wee while, which I have, you know that the opinion poll numbers in between elections can fluctuate,' Mr Gove said.
'Within a few years, you saw the party under someone like Ruth Davidson as the dominant and rising force—the principal opposition in Scotland.'
Asked whether Mr Findlay should be concerned, he replied: 'No, do not panic. If you are a fan of Aberdeen Football Club, you know that sometimes you will have a very good run, sometimes you will have a very difficult run, but in the end, you might end up in the top two come the Scottish Cup final.
'So the important thing to do is not to change the manager, but to stick together as a team and show the fighting spirit necessary to battle through.'
When it was put to him Aberdeen could end the season without any silverware, Mr Gove replied: 'Well, they had a much, much more difficult patch a few months ago.'
He also spoke about the previous UK Government's use of a Section 35 order to block Scotland's gender recognition reforms from becoming law.
Mr Gove chaired the Cabinet sub-committee that recommended the use of the then little-known section of the Scotland Act to veto the Holyrood legislation.
'Alister Jack was ultimately the individual who had to take that decision and give effect to it,' he said. 'I think it was absolutely the right decision, and I think it has been vindicated by subsequent events.'
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