Michael Gove: Rotherham Council sought to block 'tragic' grooming story

He told GB News that some Whitehall officials were “sympathetic to the council’s case” but he determined it was important the details were made public.

It comes after Dominic Cummings, who worked as an adviser to Lord Gove at the time, had given an interview to Sky News claiming that Whitehall officials wanted a “total cover-up” on the issue.

Lord Gove told GB News that Mr Cummings’ account “was broadly absolutely correct” but instead of backing the legal action, he decided that his department should intervene in support of The Times publishing the story.

The Times has reported the story in question related to a serious case review into the 2010 murder of a 17-year-old in the town. A safeguarding board had redacted information in its report relating to the Asian ethnicity of men who had been suspected of grooming her from a young age.

The paper reported in 2014 that Lord Gove had accused the board of withholding “relevant and important” material, with The Times subsequently publishing a story.

Speaking to GB News this week, Lord Gove praised reporter Andrew Norfolk, a former Yorkshire Post journalist who died earlier this year, as being “responsible more than anyone for initially uncovering the grooming gangs scandal”

Lord Gove said: “It was the case that he wanted to publish details that related to one particularly tragic case, Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council at the time didn't want the full details revealed.

“They approached the government and the Department for Education, where I was Secretary of State at the time, asked us to join them in a legal case in order to prevent The Times publishing. I looked at the material alongside Dominic [Cummings] and some other people in the department, and we contacted Rotherham Council, and we said, ‘yes, we will intervene in this case, but on behalf of The Times, because it's absolutely vital that the truth be told’.

“The documents in question revealed some details about one particular victim, and it was argued by the council and by some officials who were sympathetic to their case that revealing everything about the case might mean that other potential victims, other family members, might be adversely affected.”

He said he believed officials had been making arguments “in good faith”.

A Rotherham Council spokesperson said: “There were clear failings at that time in Rotherham in relation to child sexual exploitation as fully covered in the reports by Alexis Jay and Louise Casey.

"Since then, Rotherham Council’s children’s services have been transformed and as Baroness Casey reports Rotherham today is a completely different council. We will never again be complacent and we will continue to pursue the highest standards of protection and support for our children and young people.”