Michael Gove became the first Conservative political heavyweight to come to Medway on the general election campaign this week.

And the Chief Whip pledged to get behind “Team Kelly” in the fight to get Tory candidate Miss Tolhurst elected as Rochester and Strood’s MP.

Speaking on a visit to the Medway Messenger offices on Wednesday, Mr Gove promised a procession of prominent politicians in the four-week run-up to polling day on May 7.

He said: “Lots of my colleagues want to be part of Team Kelly’, both on the doorstep and on high-profile visits.”

He said Miss Tolhurst would make “a good local MP” and as somebody who went into politics as a Medway councillor to get involved in issues within the community, unlike Mark Reckless whom he described as a “career politician”.

“I wouldn’t be any good at [PM]. David Cameron is a brilliant leader and feedback suggests that he won hands-down in the leaders’ debate.” - Gove

While describing Ukip leader as a “phenomenon”, he believed the Ukip bubble had deflated and the party’s popularity had “peaked”.

He said of former Tory MPs, Mr Reckless and Doug Carswell, who jumped over to Ukip: “They are best friends in Parliament and they decided to do what they did for whatever reason. I said there would be no other defection and there has not."

Mr Gove was hopeful that the lacklustre 50% turnout for the by-election last November would rise to around 70%.

He said: I think the difference is that in a general election people want to have a say in who the Prime Minister is Mr Gove,the former Secretary of State for Education, when asked, if re-elected, he would seek a departmental Cabinet post, said he was undecided.

But it was a definite “no” to the top job as leader.

“I wouldn’t be any good at it. David Cameron is a brilliant leader and feedback suggests that he won hands-down in the leaders’ debate.”

Answering criticism that there would not be another head-to-head with Labour leader Ed Miliband, he replied: “To me. the most exciting general election was in 1992 and there were no live debates then.”

In this year Labour Party was consistently ahead under the leadership of Neil Kinnock, but on the day John Major pipped him to the post, making it the last outright Conservative victory in the UK.

After touring our multi-media headquarters on Medway City Estate, Mr Gove accompanied Andrew Mackness, constituency chairman to meet supporters in Rochester High Street.