Labour to accuse ministers of 'serious failure' on extremism
'Trojan Horse': Ministers 'incompetent' on extremism risk
(about 9 hours later)
Labour is to accuse the government of a "serious failure" to deal with the threat of extremism, in the wake of a row between two cabinet ministers.
Shadow education secretary Tristram Hunt has accused the government of "incompetence" over its handling of the threat of extremism in schools.
Yvette Cooper will claim departments have failed to work together and anti-radicalisation funding has been cut.
The schools inspection criteria were not fit for purpose, he said.
David Cameron has vowed to get to the bottom of a spat between Theresa May and Michael Gove over the issue.
Reports into 21 Birmingham schools where extremism concerns were raised will be published on Monday.
But Ms Cooper will say this is "missing the point" and there is no proper strategy for schools and communities.
One of them, Park View, rated as outstanding by Oftsed in 2012, will be graded inadequate, according to a leaked Ofsted report in The Guardian.
Differences of opinion between the home secretary and education secretary, both seen as potential future Tory leaders, about how to deal with Islamic extremism were laid bare in a public row.
'Unfit for purpose'
Allies of Mr Gove, who has long called for a hard line on fundamentalism arguing it can breed violence, criticised the home secretary, accusing her of being too soft in her approach.
The report is expected to say the secondary school failed to adequately warn its pupils about extremism.
"How you can go from outstanding to inadequate? And that's because the inspection criteria is not fit for purpose," Mr Hunt told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.
"We want a much broader criteria to make sure these problems don't arise."
Mr Hunt - who is expected to set out Labour's view further during a speech to the think tank Policy Exchange later - also criticised Mr Gove personally for not acting when concerns about extremism in Bimingham were raised in 2010.
He added: "He must come to the House of Commons on Monday and place on record why he refused to act on warnings, why he rejects the evidence of the need for local oversight of schools, and why he thinks that more of the same is the answer."
Differences of opinion between Home Secretary Theresa May and Education Secretary Michael Gove, both seen as potential future Tory leaders, about how to counter the threat of extremism were laid bare in a public row earlier this week.
Allies of Mr Gove, who has long called for a hard line on fundamentalism, arguing it can breed violence, criticised the home secretary, accusing her of being too soft in her approach.
The home secretary hit back by accusing the education department of losing control of the school system and failing to act when concerns were raised about Muslim schools in Birmingham at risk of being taken over by extremists.
The home secretary hit back by accusing the education department of losing control of the school system and failing to act when concerns were raised about Muslim schools in Birmingham at risk of being taken over by extremists.
The prime minister was then forced to step in after a briefing war between the ministers' respective advisers, instructing Cabinet Secretary Sir Jeremy Heywood to carry out an investigation into the row.
The prime minister has since been forced to step in after a briefing war between the ministers' respective advisers, instructing Cabinet Secretary Sir Jeremy Heywood, to investigate the row.
'Chaotic government'
Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said neither Mrs May nor Mr Gove had got to grips with the issue.
In a speech on Saturday, Ms Cooper, the shadow home secretary, will say neither Mrs May nor Mr Gove has got to grips with the issue and claim there has been a lack of co-ordination across government, with the Department for Communities and Local Government being marginalised.
She said there had been a lack of co-ordination across government, with the Department for Communities and Local Government being marginalised.
She will argue that reforms to schools in England pursued by Mr Gove, including the launch of nearly 200 free schools outside local authority control, have "made it harder" to deal with allegations of extremism.
And she will say that Home Office cuts to funding available to councils to deal with radicalisation have made matters worse.
By changing the basis on which it distributes money from the Prevent scheme, from a formula linked to the size of the Muslim population to one geared around the specific threat of radicalisation, Labour says Mrs May has overseen a fall in funding from £17m in 2010-11 to less than £4m in each of the last three years.
"This row between Theresa May and Michael Gove is not just about chaotic government," she will say in a speech to the Policy Exchange think-tank.
"It shows a much more serious failure by David Cameron's government to develop a joint plan to prevent extremism. Michael Gove's approach of shouting aggressively about extremism but failing to put proper process in place does not work.
"But Theresa May's approach of concentrating only on police intervention is not enough either."
'Thoughtful'
Ms Cooper will say the government needs to work more closely with community leaders, councils, faith groups and other bodies to hammer home the dangers of radicalisation.
Specifically, she will say more needs to be done to alert people to the risk of British citizens being recruited to fight for jihaddist groups in Syria and elsewhere.
"Ministers need a strategy which both targets those at risk of violent extremism and works in a thoughtful way with communities to prevent extremist ideologies taking hold in the first place," she will add.
Also speaking on Saturday, shadow education secretary Tristram Hunt will accuse Mr Gove of "gross negligence" for ignoring warnings that changes to the governance of schools could put pupils at risk.
"For years he has been warned that the lack of local oversight in our school system will damage education standards," he will say. "We are now seeing the results.
"Schooling skewed to prevent a broad and balanced education; gender discrimination amongst staff and children exposed to extremist views."
Joint agenda
Mr Hunt has called on Mr Gove to make a statement to Parliament about the row on Monday - something sources have indicated he would be willing to do.
Mr Cameron has insisted the government takes the threat from extremism in all walks of society very seriously, pointing out that he launched the Extremism Taskforce after the murder of fusilier Lee Rigby last year.
Speaking on Thursday, he said the whole of government was "signed up to an agenda" to confront extremism wherever it manifested itself - but also to address the emergence of dangerous ideologies at their roots
"It is very important you recognise you have to deal with violent extremism but also the sink of extremism, of tolerating extremist views, from which violence can grow," he said.
A Department for Education spokesperson said: "The allegations made in relation to some schools in Birmingham are very serious and we are investigating all evidence put to us in conjunction with Ofsted, Birmingham City Council and the police. It is absolutely vital these investigations are carried out impartially, without pre-judgment.
"Ofsted has inspected a number of schools in the light of recent allegations and will report to the secretary of state shortly. Retired senior police officer Peter Clarke has been asked by the secretary of state to make a full enquiry into Birmingham schools and will report back this summer."
