MICHAEL Gove has said he believes the opinion polls could be wrong and the Tories could win the General Election.
The Housing Secretary, who is stepping down at the election, said he was “not convinced they’re right” as he expressed “optimism” about the Conservatives’ chances on July 4.
It comes after three separate polls all published on Wednesday predicted the Tories could be on course for their worst defeat in their nearly 200-year history.
The party is facing the prospect of a near wipeout come polling day, surveys showed.
But Gove (above) was bullish when asked about the party’s chances on GB News on Thursday morning.
He said there were “sound policy reasons” for voting Conservatives and that he had been making that case on the campaign trail.
Gove said: “I feel a sense of optimism about that but at the same time, there are these opinion polls, and you entirely understandably asked me about them. And so my point is, well I'm not convinced they’re right.
“I really think it is possible that we can do significantly better than these polls indicate.”
His comments came as the Tory campaign was thrown into disarray amid a growing betting scandal.
It has seen the party's director of campaigning take a leave of absence as he and his wife, a Tory candidate, face probes into alleged betting offences relating to the date of the election.
A member of the Prime Minister's close protection team has also been arrested on suspicion of alleged betting offences and Rishi Sunak's top parliamentary aide is also facing a Gambling Commission investigation.
He then warned of the dangers of Keir Starmer (below) being handed a “super-majority” come the election.
The message has become a key line of defence for the Tories as their prospects look increasingly bleak in the run-up to the election.
The Times reported on Thursday the Tory campaign had pivoted to have candidates “warn against handing Labour a blank cheque” and that the official Conservative line was now: “Only the Conservatives can with enough seats to prevent an unaccountable Labour majority.”
Speaking on GB News, Gove said: “If these polls, which are just snapshots at the moment, if they do turn out to be accurate, it does raise a big worry which is what happens if Labour have a super-majority?
“What would an unchecked Labour government without a strong opposition do? What in their arrogance might they do in order to either rig the electoral system, stack public bodies, or shift this country in a way which is actually a sort of an over-interpretation of their mandate?”
He said he was stepping down as an MP after a 19 year career in Parliament to give his party a chance for “renewal”.
Gove added: “The next generation of Conservative leaders people like Claire Coutinho, Laura Trott, Kemi Badenoch [above], they are the people who will carry the torch forward.
“I will do everything I can to support them, but it's time for that generation alongside Rishi Sunak to revive, renew and re-energise the Conservative Party for its next phase in government.”
