30 years on, Gove tells his teacher he’s sorry for his ‘pathetic showing-off’

It MAY be 30 years too late, but Michael Gove has issued a heartfelt apology to his former French teacher for misbehaving in class.

In an open letter, the education secretary said he cringes when he remembers his 15-year-old self, lurking at the back of the classroom, competing to ask “clever-dick questions” and indulging in “pathetic showing-off”.

He urges Mr Montgomery, to whom he refers as Danny, to accept his apology, since apologies from politicians are rare.

Mr Gove said he now realised that Mr Montgomery, who taught him languages at Robert Gordon’s College in Aberdeen, was trying to broaden his pupils’ horizons.

The letter, published in the Radio Times, says: “It may be too late to say I’m sorry. Thirty years too late. But since apologies from politicians are considered as rare as away wins for Queen’s Park Rangers, I hope you will accept mine.

“Because when I look back at the 15-year-old I was, lurking at the back of your French class, I cringe. You were trying, patiently, good-humouredly, to broaden our horizons. You were, without any pretension or pomposity, attempting to coax a group of hormonal lads to look beyond familiar horizons.

“You weren’t just dinning irregular verbs into our heads, you were opening up a different way of seeing. And all we could do was compete to think of clever-dick questions to embarrass you and indulge in pathetic showing-off at your expense.”