Michael Gove ignored repeated warnings that the “Trojan horse” allegations of an extremist takeover of schools in Birmingham was “bogus” and pressed ahead with divisive interventions, according to evidence revealed in a New York Times podcast. A briefing by Birmingham city council in February 2014 for Gove, then education secretary, said it had found “a serious credibility gap” regarding the anonymous letter, saying it contained “serious factual inaccuracies and, in a number of areas, contradictions” in allegations of an Islamist plot to subvert state schools in the city. The evidence collected by Hamza Syed and Brian Reed, two journalists working on the podcast, reignites the controversy surrounding the alleged plot, which triggered a series of raids, takeovers and turmoil in schools in central Birmingham with high proportions of Muslim pupils.
But despite investigations by the government, Ofsted and Birmingham council – including one by Peter Clarke, a former national head of counter-terrorism, commissioned by Gove – the origins of the letter have never been discovered, and little or no evidence of a concerted plot or radicalisation of pupils was ever established. The eight-part podcast, The Trojan Horse Affair, said Gove was also told that Birmingham city council’s independent auditors had investigated allegations against schools named in the Trojan horse letter. According to the briefing given to Gove, the audit “had come to a clear view there was no basis” for the allegations. Sir Albert Bore, the leader of Birmingham local authority at the time, supplied the journalists with notes of his meeting with Gove on 12 February 2014, before the Trojan horse letter had reached the national media. The notes show that Gove was told that the recommendation of the West Midlands police, including its counter-terrorism unit, was that the letter was “bogus”. However, the letter circulated within Whitehall became a flashpoint between Gove and Theresa May, the then home secretary, who privately berated Gove for failing to act. Shortly afterwards, the letter reached the national media, at a time when fears of British Muslims travelling to fight alongside Islamic State in Iraq and Syria were high. Asked to respond, a government spokesperson said: “We make no apology for working to protect young people from all forms of harm. All children, from whatever background and no matter what challenges they face, deserve a safe environment in which they can learn. “The Trojan horse investigation led by Peter Clarke rightly focused on whether the events and behaviours that were alleged actually happened, and the findings have subsequently been confirmed by a number of independent reports.” A high-profile disciplinary hearing against senior leaders at one school, Park View, collapsed after flaws were exposed in the government’s legal handling, costing the Department for Education hundreds of thousands of pounds in fees. The podcast’s journalists also obtained a copy of Birmingham city council’s audit report into events at Adderley primary school in Saltley, Birmingham, which is covered in great detail in the Trojan horse letter. The independent auditors investigated an employment dispute between four teaching assistants and the head of Adderley school, Rizvana Darr, including claims by teaching assistants that resignation letters in their names accepted by the school had been forged.
Concerns over the tribunal and the council’s investigation led to a rift between Adderley school and the council. But after the Trojan horse letter emerged, Birmingham council officially retracted the audit report and restored its backing to Adderley’s legal defence. Birmingham city council also threatened the podcast journalists with an injunction if they used or published the independent audit report. The podcast concludes without any firm evidence of the Trojan horse letter’s author or origin, but says the timing of the letter’s appearance coincides with the legal difficulties between the council and Adderley school – suggesting it may have been intended to influence the employment tribunal. A Birmingham city council (BCC) spokesperson said: “It is important to remember that amid all the speculation, commentary and debate, there were investigations to get to the heart of the matter by both BCC and government. As a result we took steps to address any concerns raised and as a city we have moved on, while ensuring we learned from these experiences. “The diversity of this city is one of its strengths and we must celebrate it, but we must also continue to work hard to strengthen our community cohesion and ensure communities don’t feel isolated. We have done a lot of work to engage with communities and stakeholders and to nurture a sense of belonging and togetherness for all who live and work in the city.” Michael Gove was also contacted for comment.