Michael Gove takes cigarette breaks in rooftop smoking den built with taxpayers’ cash after being heckled on street

MICHAEL Gove takes cigarette breaks in a specially-built smoking den on his office roof built with taxpayers’ cash amid security fears.

The Cabinet Minister enjoys the fag facility after being heckled by members of the public preventing him from puffing away in the street.

Mr Gove, 55, was advised by cops to find somewhere safe to smoke within Whitehall as he takes a short break from crunch government meetings.

The hut has been erected on top of his Levelling Up Department as there is no other appropriate outside space apart from the roof.

The protective measures are put in place following advice from the authorities and not at the request of Mr Gove.

A Whitehall source said:  “A secure area was provided on the strong advice of police and security officials after Gove was harassed by anti-vax protestors threatening to hang him and following the discovery that David Amess’s killer – the terrorist Ali Harbi Ali – had visited Gove’s home on five occasions armed with a knife.”

He had an encounter with protestors outside a government building in October 2021 as he was swarmed by anti-vaxxers returning to his office after popping out for a coffee.

He was ambushed with demonstrators heard to be shrieking “arrest Michael Gove” and “do your job”.

Meanwhile, there was sinister graffiti daubed on building site hoardings in a loyalist area of Belfast in March 2021 revealing his personal details at a time of high tensions in the Brexit debate.

It also emerged that Ali Harbi Abi who received a whole life sentence for the murder of Tory MP David Amess visited his home address.

Mr Gove signalled his support last year for banning all young people from buying cigarettes saying he was “open-minded” about such proposals.

A Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities spokesman said: “It is a longstanding policy not to comment on the protective security arrangements for the Secretary of State or Ministers.”