Michael Gove Confirms Government Tried to Suppress 2011 Grooming Gang Report
Former Conservative minister Michael Gove has confirmed claims that the UK government attempted to prevent publication of a landmark report in 2011 exposing the grooming gang scandal, particularly involving men of Pakistani heritage.
Gove’s comments come amid renewed scrutiny following the Casey Review, which has opened the door to long-suppressed discussions about the decades-long abuse scandal involving vulnerable young girls in towns like Rotherham and Rochdale.
In an interview with GB News on Thursday, Gove corroborated a recent account by Dominic Cummings — his former advisor and ex-aide to Prime Minister Boris Johnson — who credited him with ensuring the grooming gang revelations were published. “Dominic’s account is broadly absolutely correct,” Gove said.
At the time, Gove was Secretary of State for Education and recalled that Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council had asked his department to support a legal effort to block The Times from publishing a groundbreaking investigation. Instead, Gove said, he and a few trusted officials made the decision to intervene on behalf of The Times.
“We contacted Rotherham Council and said we would intervene — but in support of The Times, because it is vital that the truth be told,” Gove said.
He revealed that some in government had argued against publication, claiming that negative media attention might hinder the council’s ability to improve. He also criticized the standard practice at the time of redacting serious case reviews to the point that “you could tell almost nothing from them.” According to Gove, this culture of secrecy was meant to shield professionals from accountability.
“The only way to learn the lessons,” he argued, “is through transparency.”
Gove emphasized that any upcoming national inquiry into the scandal must include scrutiny of Whitehall, not just local councils and police forces.
Earlier in the week, Dominic Cummings had told Sky News that some government officials sought to protect the council by suppressing the report. “They wanted a total cover-up,” he said. “But other officials, including Gove, said this was outrageous and pushed for the truth to come out.”
Cummings predicted a full inquiry would be “a total disaster for Whitehall,” revealing how much effort went into burying the scandal.
The 2011 Times report, authored by journalist Andrew Norfolk, marked a turning point in public awareness. Norfolk was approached by whistleblower Jayne Senior, a youth worker who provided him with boxes of documentation detailing years of ignored abuse reports. At the time, efforts were made to identify and punish whoever leaked the material, but they failed.
Norfolk’s reporting was met with intense criticism. He was accused of “racialising” the crimes, with The Guardian dismissing his work as “dubious claims about Muslim men grooming white girls.” Despite the backlash, the story broke through years of institutional silence.
Norfolk died suddenly in May 2025 at the age of 60 during a medical appointment. His work is now widely recognized as a pivotal moment in exposing systemic child sexual exploitation in the UK.