Rory Stewart Credits Michael Gove For Cocaine Honesty

8 June 2019, 10:25 | Updated: 8 June 2019, 10:34

Conservative leadership candidate Rory Stewart praised fellow contender Michael Gove for being honest about his previous drug use.

Tory leadership hopeful Michael Gove said he "deeply regrets" taking cocaine on "several occasions", telling the Daily Mail he used to take the drug 20 years ago.

The Environment Secretary told the newspaper he took the drug whilst working as a young journalist, adding he wished he hadn't.

But Rory Stewart, another leadership contender, who recently apologised for smoking opium in Iran over a decade ago, praised Mr Gove for being honest.

Speaking to Matt Frei on LBC, Mr Stewart said the 'important thing' is that politicians answer questions directly.

"I think the important thing, that people want from politicians, is that they're straight," he said.

"And that if someone asks them a question and they've done something wrong, they should answer the question directly and Michael's done that and I credit him for doing that."

Talking about his own experience with opium, Mr Stewart said he smoked the drug from a pipe that was passed around a group of people whilst waiting for a wedding to start.

"It's a tradition there, but I also think that looking back on it I can see the misery that actually opium inflicted on those communities and later in my life working in Afghanistan and seeing the drug lords and the poppies, I began to realise what a serious thing that is," he said.

Asked by Matt whether he regrets taking the drug, the leadership hopeful said: "Absolutely yes."

Watch above.