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You don’t have to be a woman to relate to Michael Gove talking all over lawyer Claire Mitchell, but it helps

John Plunkett. Updated November 29th, 2023

A revealing and entirely relatable moment here from the Covid inquiry here, especially if you’re a woman.

It’s levelling up – ha! – secretary Michael Gove giving evidence and being questioned by Claire Mitchell KC, representing Scottish Covid Bereaved.

It was flagged on Twitter by the always followable @implausibleblog who said: ‘Michael Gove speaks over Claire Mitchell (Scottish Covid Bereaved) repeatedly.

‘A perfect demonstration of what Helen MacNamara was referring to in her evidence, that women were belittled, spoken over and dismissed.’

Former deputy cabinet secretary MacNamara, in case you missed it, told the inquiry about the ‘very obvious sexist treatment’ in Downing Street, and ‘dominant culture that was macho and heroic … junior people talked over and everything contaminated by ego’.

Over to you, Michael Gove.

No more questions, your honour.

And here are just a few of the things people said about the exchange (such as it was).

Took us back to this moment from ITV’s The Chase, which is so very different and yet so very, very similar.

Source @implausibleblog