Gove makes case for UK premiership after Johnson betrayal

[LONDON] Justice Secretary Michael Gove made his case to be Britain's next prime minister after breaking with the incumbent and then betraying the onetime front-runner.

In a manoeuvre that smacked of a plot line from the "House of Cards" television series, Mr Gove torpedoed the leadership ambitions of fellow Brexiteer Boris Johnson on Thursday, four months after opposing Prime Minister David Cameron by joining the "Leave" camp in the European Union referendum campaign.

Now his sights are set on Home Secretary Theresa May, the early favourite, and three other candidates to head the Conservative Party and the country.

"We as a country need to be bold, to step forwards, to believe in ourselves," Mr Gove told reporters in London on Friday morning.

He said he wants a "renewed Britain, optimistic, open to the world, a place of hope and healing."

Hours after his announcement on Thursday, Mr Gove used a BBC interview to skewer Mr Johnson for his inability to build a team and portray himself as the conviction politician the country needs to negotiate a Brexit.

On Friday, he reiterated protests that he's only going for the job because he sees no other option.

"I am so very reluctant," he told reporters Friday. "I know my limitations." He said he's standing "as the candidate for change."

BLOOMBERG