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       Britain's Secretary for Justice Michael Gove and wife Sarah Vine arrive for a reception in London, on March 5, 2016.

       Neil Hall/Reuters

       Britain’s cabinet office minister Michael Gove, one of Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s most senior ministers, has separated from his wife and they are planning to divorce, the couple spokesperson said on Friday.

       “It is an entirely amicable separation and there is no one else involved. They have drifted apart over the past couple of years but they remain friends,” said the spokesperson for Gove and his wife Sarah Vine, a well-known journalist.

       The spokesperson said they had “agreed to separate” and are “in the process of finalizing their divorce.”

       “They will continue to support their two children and they remain close friends,” the spokesperson said. “The family politely ask for privacy at this time and will not be providing any further comment.”

       Vine, a columnist for the Daily Mail newspaper, wrote in an article last week about when a person pursues a career in British politics it can drive couples apart.

       That article came after last Saturday’s resignation of Matt Hancock, the health minister, who was caught breaking COVID-19 rules by kissing and embracing an aide in his office, enraging colleagues and the public who have been living under lockdown.

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