On the back of one David Cameron error, the Government has done its very best to create the impression that there’s nothing to see here with regards to the recent revelations surrounding the funding of schools linked to Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir (HT).
Cameron got a single detail wrong at PMQs. The money for these schools does not come from ‘Pathfinder’ PVE funds but, as the CSC report upon which Cameron based his questions states, from the 'Free Entitlement' and 'Pathfinder' educational funds. This slight mis-step by Cameron has been used by Ed Balls to quite disgracefully divert attention that government money is still going from his department to HT schools.
The Government also tried to make an issue of the DCSF registration number issue. The fact is that Michael Gove wrote to Ed Balls on 18th November asking Balls to provide him with the DCSF registration number and the Ofsted inspection report for the ISF as neither was available on the Ofsted website. Balls only provided the information yesterday after it was raised in PMQs. This is a pretty blatant diversionary attempt by the Government to get away from the core issue.
On yesterday’s Newsnight, Balls attempted to make the laughable claim that there is no evidence of links between the school and HT. This is only true if you were not to accept – which everyone has – that half of the school’s trustees were members of HT when it was established, and still were so when it received the government funds.
Balls also seemed to place himself in the odd position of saying that, while he may not be their biggest fan, that there was no fundamental problem with HT running a charity as they are a legal organisation. Perhaps so – but is there no fundamental problem to the extent that he is happy for the government he is part of to be willing to fund them to the tune of £113,000?
One phrase stuck out on Newsnight that was especially disgraceful. Balls said that ‘Even if it were the case that there is a clear link between Hizb ut-Tahrir and this foundation; even if these schools were not inspected and were promoting extremism, to have raised it in the House of Commons in the way David Cameron did would have been inflammatory.’
Firstly, Balls is delusional if he does not see the HT- Islamic Shakhsiyah Foundation (ISF) link. But, more importantly, how on earth can he say that Cameron would be acting in an ‘inflammatory’ way by confronting the Prime Minister in the House of Commons about children being indoctrinated by extremist ideology? Where exactly would he like Cameron to raise it? What kind of totalitarian nonsense is Balls advocating?
Balls issued a further attempt at evasion today, saying that ‘As the Tories have now admitted there is no evidence for the allegation David Cameron made in the House of Commons yesterday that the Islamic Shakhsiyah Foundation has secured government money from a fund intended to prevent violent extremism.’
There is, however, indisputable evidence to suggest that the ISF has secured government money from other funds. So Cameron said ‘Pathfinder’ PVE funds when he should have said ‘Pathfinder’ educational funds. This should not have been the big deal that Ed Balls and the BBC have tried to make it out to be.
The fact of the matter is this: over £113,000 worth of taxpayers' money has been given to HT-linked schools. No amount of Labour spin should detract from that.
