Theresa May is under pressure from ministers and advisers to bring back Michael Gove into government to shore up her position after the election.
The former cabinet minister, who was sacked by Mrs May when she became prime minister, has been fastidiously defending the government during the campaign and is among those being mooted for a return to the front bench should the Tories win.
Mr Gove has proved himself a more regular and reliable media commentator for Conservative headquarters than many of those in the cabinet, who have either stayed out of the limelight or been tripped up in interviews.
A Tory source said: “His name is regularly being talked about in CCHQ. Of course this is a surprise: whether Theresa can get over her antipathy towards him remains to be seen, but there’s a feeling in the party that he could help steady the ship after the election.”
Mrs May made an arch comment about Mr Gove in an interview with the Evening Standard yesterday. Mr Gove, now a columnist for The Times, and Mrs May fell out when he accused her of failing to “drain the swamp” of extremism after the so-called Trojan Horse plot. Asked whether she underestimated his talents, she replied: “I seem to remember Michael was secretary for state for education at one point. Of course, what happened in the Trojan Horse case was that some teachers were speaking out, but the authorities were then not taking action.”
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Fiona Hill, Mrs May’s joint chief of staff, left government as a result of the Trojan Horse row and is unlikely to show much sympathy for Mr Gove. Nick Timothy, her other joint chief of staff, is thought to be less hostile to the idea of his return. Mr Timothy ran the New Schools Network promoting free schools, an idea pushed by Mr Gove.
A Tory source said: “There is a less than 50 per cent chance of it happening but he will be needed, particularly if she wants to move Boris to become party chairman.” Allies of Boris Johnson, the foreign secretary, say that he was given reassurances at the start of the campaign that he would keep his job.
Paul Goodman, editor of Conservative Home, said: “If Theresa May feels she needs a strong reforming minister with a track record then there’s a strong case for sending Michael Gove.”
There had been calls for Mr Gove to become deputy prime minister to restore party unity had Remain won the EU referendum and David Cameron continued as prime minister.