Education Secretary Michael Gove has been put on the spot over his participation in a journalists’ strike while working on a Scottish regional daily.

The Tory politician began his career as a trainee at the Aberdeen Press and Journal in the late 1980s before going on to a career in national newspapers.

In 1989, National Union of Journalists’ members at the Press and Journal staff went on strike over union recognition and Mr Gove joined them on the picket line.

Today’s Daily Mail put Mr Gove on the spot over the episode, after he urged teachers to break yesterday’s one-day strike over pensions.

The Mail reported:  “He has urged people to break today’s public sector strikes – but Conservative minister Michael Gove was once on the picket line himself.

“Twenty years ago the young grinning journalist was pictured holding a placard saying ‘NUJ official picket don’t cross’ as he joined nine colleagues on the frontline.”

In an interview with the New Statesman last year, Mr Gove said that while he had not agreed with the action taken by the NUJ, he felt he had to support his colleagues.

“I was against going on strike, but I’d only just arrived. The majority of friends and colleagues felt very strongly about this. I was the new kid,'”he said.

“There were people whom I liked and admired who felt they were being mistreated. I had joined the union.

“I thought it was wrong to go on strike but I didn’t feel that the principle was an ignoble one.’