Prime Minister Theresa May was forced to confront allegations from ex-White House press secretary Sean Spicer Thursday, nearly a month after the minister resigned under a cloud.
Spicer, at an event hosted by former minister Rebekah Brooks in London, raised the matter of former Environment Secretary Michael Gove, who allegedly questioned May’s judgment on Brexit during a private meeting at a bar.
Asked about Gove’s conversation, Spicer, who said he was now working on an update to his book, alleged the minister “exclaimed” that the government’s choice of Brexit was a mistake, the Independent reported.
It’s not clear whether Gove attended the meeting, but he posted a photo on Twitter that shows him and May on the day the vote was passed into law.
“First time I’ve been in the UK government since leaving,” Spicer said. “So it was surreal to be back here at my old old stomping ground.”
The former White House spokesman went on to say that the former Environment Secretary “has always been a prominent voice for the renegotiation of the free movement of people that were part of the 1997 Labour manifesto.”
Spicer added that, after the Brexit vote, Gove was “very much” in favor of securing free movement and free movement was “a myth” and “not a reality.”
“It is a great place,” Spicer said. “I think the free trade agreement between Britain and the U.S. will be good for both of us.”