Michael Gove spotted on night out with BBC producer Sam McAlister a year after his divorce

DIVORCED Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove has grown close to an award-winning BBC TV producer.

The Tory minister was joined by Sam McAlister — who helped Prince Andrew skewer himself on Newsnight — at a pre-Christmas celebrity drinks party.

Onlookers say their closeness and decision to leave together set tongues wagging in the pub which was packed with media and political figures.

One source close to dad-of-two Gove, who split from journalist spouse Sarah Vine last year, said: “His ex-wife will be furious he’s here with her.”

An onlooker at the West London venue added: “They were very close all evening and left together – but looked a bit sheepish when they realised they were being pictured and took a few steps apart quickly to try to play things down.

“Michael’s daughter was at the party too and seemed less than impressed.”

It was Ms McAlister who persuaded Prince Andrew to give his infamous interview to Emily Maitlis on Newsnight in 2019.

On it he addressed his links to billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

It was described as a “total car crash” for the royal, who showed little remorse and bizarrely claimed he never sweats.

Earlier tonight pals insisted Mr Gove and Ms McAlister were just close friends and not in a relationship.

Sources close to the politician said they left the party together but later went their separate ways.

Cabinet big hitter and Brexiteer Mr Gove separated from Ms Vine in July 2021, after 20 years.

The pair have two teenage children together. Ms Vine said the marriage had irretrievably broken down and cited his “unreasonable behaviour”.

But she dismissed rumours of an affair and claimed Mr Gove only had one mistress – politics.

Just a few months later, the then-Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster was snapped without a tie in an Aberdeen nightclub throwing shapes on the dancefloor at a techno and jungle night.

He told onlookers at Bohemia in the early hours: “I love to dance.”

He was sacked by Boris Johnson just 24 hours before the then-PM was forced to quit earlier this summer.

But in October new PM Rishi Sunak brought him back to his old job at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.