Michael Gove can’t define what a ‘substantial meal’ is during Piers Morgan grilling

Michael Gove was unable to tell Piers and Susanna what a substantial meal actually is while on Good Morning Britain today.

The Cabinet Minister was grilled by Piers Morgan this morning on the ITV show. 

From Wednesday, those pubs and restaurants operating in areas placed into Tier 2 will be able to serve alcohol alongside a ‘substantial meal’. 

However, even the minister is confused about what a substantial meal actually is. 

Piers asked: “Is a scotch egg a substantial meal?”

Mr Gove said: “It’s probably a starter, but the more serious point is there are reasonable rules about hospitality in order to keep us all safe.

“The substantial meal definition has been enshrined in law for many years now and it already allows pubs to serve alcohol to 16 and 17-year-olds if they order one.”

When Piers and co-host Reid asked for the exact definition of a substantial meal, Gove floundered. 

Piers laid into him and said: “Even you can’t tell us what a substantial meal is, how are people meant to know what to order?

“You want us to all go out and abide by the rules, but you’re not able to tell us what your own rules are.”

Gove argued that pubs know the rules and that the ‘serious point’ was that they ‘know how to provide substantial meals’. 

Piers pressed: “Do you have to eat the food, is the government mandating people eat substantial meals?”

Gove said: “We are relying on people’s common sense, pubs can serve whatever they choose to.”

However, the scotch egg debate raged on for the rest of the morning, and in a later interview on ITV News he changed his mind, saying it is in fact a substantial meal.

He said: “A scotch egg is a substantial meal. I myself would definitely scoff a couple of Scotch eggs if I had the chance, but I do recognise that it is a substantial meal.”

You couldn’t make it up…