▁on ▁difficult ▁economic ▁circumstances . ▁In ▁October ▁ 2 0 1 2 , ▁he ▁wrote ▁an ▁ap ology ▁letter ▁to ▁his ▁former ▁French ▁teacher ▁for ▁mis be h aving ▁in ▁class . ▁From ▁ 1 9 8 5 ▁to ▁ 1 9 8 8 ▁he ▁read ▁English ▁at ▁Lady ▁Margaret ▁Hall , ▁Oxford , ▁gradu ating ▁with ▁an ▁upper ▁second . ▁▁ ▁During ▁his ▁first ▁year , ▁he ▁met ▁future ▁Prime ▁Minister ▁Bor is ▁Johnson ▁and ▁helped ▁him ▁become ▁elected ▁President ▁of ▁the ▁Oxford ▁Union . ▁In ▁an ▁interview ▁with ▁Andrew ▁G im son , ▁G ove ▁remarked ▁that ▁at ▁Oxford , ▁Johnson ▁was ▁" qu ite ▁the ▁most ▁brilliant ▁ext emp ore ▁speaker ▁of ▁his ▁generation ." ▁G ove ▁was ▁elected ▁President ▁of ▁the ▁Oxford ▁Union ▁a ▁year ▁after ▁Johnson . ▁ ▁Journal ism ▁career ▁ ▁G ove ▁became ▁a ▁tra ine e ▁rep orter ▁at ▁The ▁Press ▁and ▁Journal ▁in ▁Aber de en , ▁where ▁he ▁spent ▁several ▁months ▁on ▁strike ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 9 8 9 – 1 9 9 0 ▁dispute ▁over ▁union ▁recognition ▁and ▁representation . ▁ ▁He ▁joined ▁The ▁Times ▁in ▁ 1 9 9 6 ▁as ▁a ▁leader ▁writer ▁and ▁assumed ▁posts ▁as ▁its ▁comment ▁editor , ▁news ▁editor , ▁Saturday ▁editor ▁and ▁assistant ▁editor . ▁He ▁has ▁also ▁written ▁a ▁week ly ▁column ▁on ▁politics ▁and ▁current ▁affairs ▁for ▁the ▁newspaper ▁and ▁contributed ▁to ▁The ▁Times ▁Liter ary ▁Supp lement , ▁Pro spect ▁magazine ▁and ▁The ▁Spect ator . ▁He ▁remains ▁on ▁good ▁terms