The office of education secretary Ruth Kelly has been attacked by members of the protest group Fathers 4 Justice. Ruth Kelly's Election Result

Police are investigating after burglars broke into her Bolton West constituency office early on Thursday and glued locks shut and put slogans on the wall.

Fathers 4 Justice have claimed responsibility for the attack.

The group is believed to blame Ms Kelly for government policy that they say prevents parents from being able to see their children.

Elaine Risk, co-ordinator for the group in Greater Manchester, said: "I believe that she was locked out - the door was sealed and the letterbox was sealed and other posters were put up.

"We thought that maybe she would like to know how it feels to be denied access to her most beloved."

On Thursday night Greater Manchester Police confirmed officers are investigating the attack at Ms Kelly's office

BBC Online

Nazis active in education ministers secret society

Exclusive by Cathy Alegbe 16/1/2005

NEO-NAZIS are active inside a 'cult-like' secretive Catholic society linked to newly-promoted Education Secretary Ruth Kelly, Blink can reveal. The fast-rising Labour minister is a member of Opus Dei, an organisation whose former leader supported Adolf Hitler and Spanish fascist General Franco.

A Blink investigation has found that links to neo-Nazis does not stop there. We have discovered a senior Opus Dei member in London who is also a member of the far-right National Front.

The man, who we are not naming for legal reasons, has boasted of hob-nobbing with education secretary Ruth Kelly at Opus Dei's London headquarters in Battersea.

An Opus Dei spokesman confirmed to Blink that Kelly is a member of their organisation. Yet Kelly has made no mention of the 84,000-strong body in her register of members interests.

Blink is now writing to Commons sleaze-buster Sir Philip Mawer, the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, to ask whether Kelly should have declared her membership of Opus Dei. Last Friday Kelly's office refused to confirm or deny that she is a member.

Fascism

Parents will be concerned that Kelly is in charge of their children's education while supporting a secretive and elitist Catholic body with past links with fascism.

They will also be concerned that the powerful body, with strong links to the Vatican, may not have shaken off its' past. Questions are bound to be asked whether the NF supporter inside Opus Dei is a one-off, or the tip of an iceberg.

Opus Dei’s founder, Monsignor Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer, was a fan of Spanish fascist General Franco, writing several letters to him. De Balaguer is also quoted as saying ‘Hitler would save Christianity from Communism’.

Cult-like

Opus Dei - Latin for 'Work of God' - has been described a 'cult-like, dangerous, controversial and elitist.'  Founded in 1928, it is a members-only organisation, likened with the freemasons for encouraging secrecy and discretion amongst its members.

Opus Dei founder Monsignor Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer

Kelly, at 36, is Britain's youngest-ever Cabinet minister. Described as 'dull and conservative', the mother-of-four is known for her strident Catholic views.

Despite only being elected to Parliament in 1997, the former Guardian economics editor was promoted to Education Secretary last month.

Oxford-educated Kelly replaced Charles Clarke, who became Home Secretary as David Blunkett resigned over the Kimberly Quinn affair.

Andrew Soame, a spokesman for Opus Dei, told Blink: "Yes, you can reliably infer that she is indeed a fully-paid up member of Opus Dei." John Shield, head of Media in Ruth Kelly’s office, said he had no comment to make about Kelly’s religious beliefs, but it was well known that she was a practising Catholic.

Conspiracies

Opus Dei has around 500 members in Britain. They are divided into celibate singles and non-celibate married couples. The organisation has come to public prominence after its inclusion in Dan Brown's best-seller The Da Vinci Code, linking Opus Dei with various conspiracies.

Kelly's links with Opus Dei has alarmed scientists, who fear her conservative views on stem-cell research will hamper progress. Opus Dei is known for it's opposition to contraception, embryo research, cloning and abortion.

Kelly's rapid rise has stunned Westminster. But it is all the more remarkable because she has had four babies since 1997. This has provoked jealousy amongst other so-called 'Blair's Babes' who have put their family life on hold to concentrate on their political careers. Black Information Link