Michael Gove has refused to criticise Kings Science Academy – despite his own department finding apparent fraud at the Bradford free school.

Quizzed about the controversy for the first time, the Education Secretary said only that there were “questions to be answered” by those running the school.

Instead, Mr Gove hailed the “idealists” behind Kings Science Academy and the other free schools sprouting up in Bradford and across the country.

And he accused Labour critics of ignoring what he called the “appalling” quality of education in Bradford for many years, before free schools were established.

Mr Gove came out fighting 17 days after his own auditors revealed that “fabricated invoices” for rent were submitted to the Department for Education (Dfe) by the free school.

Payments also went towards teachers’ furniture, with more than £600 spent on parties or meals and £169 given to an employee to buy clothes, auditors found.

The DfE also wrongly told MPs that West Yorkshire Police had started a criminal investigation and concluded that “no further action was necessary”.

In fact, a fraud inquiry has only now been mounted – six months after the department was alerted to the scandal at the school in Lidget Green.

Mr Gove was put on the spot by Bradford South MP Labour Gerry Sutcliffe, who demanded to know what would be done about the “disaster” at the school.

In reply, Mr Gove said: “It’s certainly the case that there are questions to be answered by those responsible for Kings Science Academy.”

And, turning his fire on Labour, he added: “The quality of education in Bradford has, for many years, been appalling They are prepared to turn a blind eye consistently to Labour local authorities that fail.”

Later, Mr Gove was challenged a second time about why he “sat on a report for five months”, instead of revealing the financial failings at Kings Science Academy.

In reply, he said: “We informed the Home Office about our concerns about that school.”

It is the first time the Home office has been dragged directly into the controversy, the DfE having previously blamed an error by Action Fraud, the UK’s reporting centre.

Speaking afterwards, Mr Sutcliffe said: “ I think people will be shocked that, when wrongdoing is exposed, he’s not prepared to challenge it."