OfS chair criticised for sharing platform with ‘racist’ speakers

The chair of the UK’s higher education regulator has been criticised for participating in a controversial right-wing conference in Viktor Orbán’s Hungary that also featured speakers who had previously expressed antisemitic and racist views.

Lord Wharton of Yarm, the chair of the Office for Students (OfS), sent a video message to the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), run by the influential American Conservative Union, which has close ties to former president Donald Trump.

The choice of Hungary as a venue was intentional for the organisation’s first major event outside of the US, as it sought to learn lessons from the fourth victory of Mr Orbán’s right-wing populist party, Fidesz, in last month’s election.

The Hungarian prime minister was the keynote speaker at the event and Mr Trump made a surprise appearance, alongside several key members of his former administration. Also appearing was Zsolt Bayer, a far-right journalist who has referred to Jews as “stinking excrement” and Roma people as “animals”.

Academics criticised Lord Wharton for sharing a platform with Mr Bayer and for appearing to endorse Mr Orbán, whose policies have widely been seen as attacking academic freedom in Hungary.

During its time in power, Fidesz has sought to transfer the assets of the country’s public universities to boards more closely aligned to the party and Mr Orbán was accused of “forcing out” – in violation of EU law – the Budapest-based Central European University, which moved to Vienna in 2018. He has also banned the study of gender at Hungarian universities.

“I was in Budapest only a few weeks ago to see the election result there, to see we can win in Hungary just as we have in the United Kingdom, just as we do in so many places,” Lord Wharton, who led Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party leadership campaign, told the conference.

He added that events such as CPAC Hungary allowed people who share “common beliefs” to come together to “meet old friends and to make new ones” and share ideas for policies and campaigns.

But the remarks have led to criticism from academics in the UK. “For the chair of the Office for Students to not just congratulate, but explicitly endorse Orbán, his government and his policies shows what he really thinks about academic freedom,” said Jonathan Portes, professor of economics at King’s College London.

Alice Donald, associate professor in the school of law at Middlesex University, said it was “deeply disturbing” to see Lord Wharton participate in the event and that it was at odds with his stance on tackling antisemitism on UK university campuses.

He told institutions when he assumed his role at the OfS in February 2021 that they should “redouble their efforts to tackle antisemitism” and called for “clear measures…to ensure that Jewish students are free to study and enjoy university life without fear of harassment”.

Dr Donald said that Mr Orban’s actions have been “authoritarian” and have “undermined academic freedom and freedom of expression in Hungary” and Lord Wharton’s support for this “demeans his office”.

“I consider that it makes Lord Wharton’s position as chair of the OfS untenable, for how can students trust that he will implement in good faith the organisation’s mission to ensure that every student, whatever their background, has a fulfilling experience of higher education that enriches their lives and career?” she added.

The OfS said that Lord Wharton was speaking at CPAC in a personal capacity. Lord Wharton was also contacted for comment.

tom.williams@timeshighereducation.com