“Michael Gove, a senior official in Britain and one of the top contenders to replace Theresa May as Conservative leader and prime minister, has admitted to taking illegal drugs in his youth, calling it ‘a mistake,'” the New York Times reports.

“The revelation is contained in a biography, Michael Gove: A Man in a Hurry, by Owen Bennett, a political journalist, that is scheduled to be published in July. The British newspaper The Daily Mail published excerpts from the book on Saturday.”

Said Gove: “I took drugs on several occasions at social events more than 20 years ago. It was a mistake. But I don’t believe that past mistakes disqualify you.”