Press release for immediate use   Saturday, February 8

Galloway presses Gove to admit he misled parliament

George Galloway has called on education secretary Michael Gove to admit that he misled parliament over the controversial King’s Science Academy.

In a series of questions to the minister Galloway followed up his point of order in parliament which called on Gove to justify his claims over King’s or withdraw them. In particular Galloway queried whether it was the case, as the minister claimed, that Conservative party vice-chairman Alan Lewis had taken a reduction in income on the site he leased to the school, and whether it was Gove’s department which reported allegations of fraud to Action Fraud.

“I have been trying to get answers to my questions from Michael Gove for weeks, to no effect,” the Bradford West MP said. “He needs to justify the claims he made to the House or come before it and admit that he misled the honourable members. If, as he says, Alan Lewis took a reduced rent – which certainly isn’t the case from the inquiries I have made – then he needs to produce the evidence. And to say that it was his department which alerted Action Fraud couldn’t be further from the truth. It was a whistleblower, after five months inaction from the DfE, who set off the train of events which has led to the police investigation and the arrest of the school principal.”

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Further information: Ron McKay on 07980 675998