Oxford University lecturer Dr Lola Salem has reportedly been charged with possessing indecent images of children. Dr Salem (33) was, until recently, the girlfriend of former senior British politician Michael Gove (59), who is currently the editor of the influential right-wing magazine The Spectator.
As reported by The Telegraph (via AOL News), Dr Salem is facing charges for possessing indecent images of children between May 2021 and February 2023. Three of the images in question are classed as Category B (the second most serious category), and one is Category C.
Dr Salem has reportedly pleaded not guilty to the charges, is currently on bail, and is expected to stand trial at Oxford Crown Court later this year. As of writing, she’s suspended from Oxford University’s Oriel College, which said (via The Telegraph): “Oriel College was made aware of serious charges against an employee in June 2026. This employee was suspended, pending the outcome of legal proceedings.”
“Serious charges against an employee”
Now Dr Salem’s two-year relationship with Gove is coming under scrutiny. Gove was and is a highly influential figure in British politics. Under the 2010-2024 government of the right-wing Conservative Party, he was Secretary of State for Justice, Secretary of State for Education, and the government’s Chief Whip (among other roles).
Dr Salem is also active and influential in right-wing circles, with her work focusing on the supposed capture of arts institutions by progressive ideologies, a call to arms for conservatives to take culture seriously, and she’s a regular contributor to conservative intellectual magazines and publications.
Now, as per The Daily Mail, Gove and Dr Salem have broken up. On Oct. 2, they quoted an anonymous “chum” who confirmed Gove and Dr Salem had been sharing an apartment in London, but: “They’ve parted. The split happened some time ago, but all parties have been tight-lipped about the reasons.”
Now there are accusations that a “partial media blackout” is underway about this story. The Telegraph‘s story that Dr Salem is facing criminal charges has been pulled offline (though remains online via their syndicated mirrors), as has similar reporting in The Daily Mail and GB News (both of their stories remain viewable on the Wayback Machine).
As of writing, it is unclear why these stories are being pulled and there has been no reporting suggesting the criminal charges against Dr Salem have been wrongly reported and her case is listed on OpenCourtData.uk. There is also no evidence that Gove was aware of any alleged criminal activity by his former partner, and we do not know the reasons behind the couple’s break-up.
Published: Oct 12, 2026 11:15 am