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**CERTIFICATIONS**

I, Bernardus Johannes Maria Verwaayen, certify that:

|  | 1.     | I have reviewed this annual report on Form      20-F of BT Group plc;                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          |
|--|--------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|  |   |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
|  | 2.     | Based on my knowledge, this report does not      contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material      fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances      under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the      period covered by this report; |

|  |   |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     |
|--|--------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|  | 3.     | Based on my knowledge, the financial statements,      and other financial information included in this report, fairly present      in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations      and cash flows of the company as of, and for, the periods presented in this      report; |

|  |   |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     |
|--|--------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|  | 4.     | The company’s other certifying officer      and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls      and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e))      and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act      Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the company and have: |

|  |   |   |   |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 |
|--|--------|--------|--------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|  |   |   | a)     | Designed such disclosure controls and procedures,      or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our      supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the company,      including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within      those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being      prepared; |

|  |   |   |   |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             |
|--|--------|--------|--------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|  |   |   | b)     | Designed such internal control over financial      reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be      designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding      the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial      statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting      principles; |

|  |   |   |   |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  |
|--|--------|--------|--------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|  |   |   | c)     | Evaluated the effectiveness of the company’s      disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions      about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of      the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and |

|  |   |   |   |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 |
|--|--------|--------|--------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|  |   |   | d)     | Disclosed in this report any change in the      company’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred      during the period covered by the annual report that has materially affected,      or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the company’s internal      control over financial reporting; and |

|  |   |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         |
|--|--------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|  | 5.     | The company’s other certifying officer      and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control      over financial reporting, to the company’s auditors and the audit      committee of the company’s board of directors (or persons performing      the equivalent functions): |

|  |   |   |   |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             |
|--|--------|--------|--------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|  |   |   | a)     | All significant deficiencies and material      weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial      reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the company’s      ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information;      and |

|                    |                               |   |   |                                                                                                                                                                                    |
|--------------------|------------------------------------|--------|--------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|                    |                               |   | b)     | Any fraud, whether or not material, that      involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the      company’s internal control over financial reporting. |
|                    |                               |   |   |                                                                                                                                                                                    |
|               |
| Date: May 16, 2007 |
|               |
| /s/ Ben Verwaayen  |
|                    | ___________________                |
| Name:              | Bernardus Johannes Maria Verwaayen |
| Title:             | Chief Executive                    |
|                    |                               |   |   |                                                                                                                                                                                    |

 

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