Latest news with #chancellor
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
First MP to come out as gay is named Cambridge chancellor
The first MP to come out as gay has been named as the new chancellor of the University of Cambridge. Lord Smith of Finsbury will replace Lord Sainsbury of Turville, a fellow Labour peer, to become the university's 109th chancellor. He beat nine rivals to the role, including Sandi Toksvig, the former host of the Great British Bake Off, Gina Miller, the anti-Brexit campaigner, and Lord Browne of Madingley, the former chief executive of BP and a cross-bench peer. The chancellorship is a largely ceremonial position at the head of the university, representing it at events and in fundraising initiatives. The role is unpaid, but its extensive foreign travel is covered by the university. Around 25,000 Cambridge alumni and staff cast their votes in the chancellorship race, which was the first to take place both online and in person in the role's 800-year history. Mohamed El-Erian, an Egyptian-American businessman and the current president of Queen's College, Cambridge, won the most first choice votes in the ballot, but the single transferable vote system saw Lord Smith emerge the victor. The politician has been the master of Pembroke College, Cambridge since 2015 and became a Labour peer last year, having previously served as the party's MP for Islington South and Finsbury. Lord Smith's 22-year stint as a Labour MP saw him serve as secretary of state for culture, media and sport for four years during the Blair administration. He later became chairman of both the Environment Agency and the Advertising Standards Authority. In his candidate statement to become Cambridge chancellor, Lord Smith said his experience as the first openly gay MP showed his commitment to 'diversity, openness and ethics'. He won 4,500 votes in the initial count compared to Mr El-Erian's 4,818, but scooped up other votes in the ranked ballot to become the overall winner. In a statement announcing his election, Lord Smith said: 'To be elected as chancellor of the university I love is a huge honour. I'm thrilled. I look forward to being the best possible ambassador for Cambridge, to being a strong voice for higher education more generally, and to working closely together with the vice-chancellor and her team.' Prof Deborah Prentice, Cambridge's vice-chancellor, said: 'On behalf of everyone at the university, I offer my warm congratulations to Chris on his election. I very much look forward to working with him and building on the strong relationship that we have developed since I became vice-chancellor. 'Chris has had a long involvement with the university, and brings a wealth of relevant experience to this important role. I would like to thank the other nine candidates for standing for the role and their willingness to serve Cambridge.' Lord Sainsbury stepped down earlier this year after 14 years as chancellor. Lord Smith, who will serve a reduced term of 10 years under new chancellorship rules, inherits Cambridge's figurehead position at a difficult time for the university sector as it grapples with a worsening financial crisis and increasingly polarised debate over free speech. His appointment comes on the day Cambridge was been granted a year-long injunction banning pro-Palestinian protests on campus. Cambridge has been granted several previous injunctions to stop protest activity on campus, but those have all covered specific events, such as forthcoming graduation ceremonies. Lord Smith has previously supported the university's use of legal action to shut down pro-Palestine encampments on campus, citing potential disruption to students' exams. The university returned to the High Court on Wednesday seeking a more sweeping 12-month injunction, which will also cover Chestnut Tree Lawn – a plot of land in front of King's College – as well as Senate House, the Old Schools and Greenwich House. The Russell Group institution said in written submissions to the court that there was 'an increase in the risk and threat of direct action taking place against the university'. It added that 'the possibility of further war in the Middle East involving Israel and Iran amongst other countries is also likely to lead to further unrest over the summer period'. Kester Lees KC, for the university, said the harm caused to the university by previous protests was 'substantial', including thousands of people being disrupted during graduations, staff being unable to work, and more than £230,000 being spent on extra security, cleaning, and legal costs. The European Legal Support Centre and the human rights group Liberty both intervened in the case to express opposition to the move, with the university's students' union, which is not involved in the legal proceedings, also criticising the injunction bid. Mr Justice Butcher, the judge presiding over the case, said he would set out his reasons for granting the injunction at a later date. The injunction could place Lord Smith in a difficult position, with his pitch for chancellorship centred around a commitment to freedom of speech. In an interview with The Telegraph last month he criticised those who attempt to 'no-platform' controversial figures in the university, saying: 'Free speech is about allowing people to say controversial things, but then challenging them and debating with them.' He also criticised the BBC for livestreaming 'Death to the IDF' chants on a Glastonbury stage by the punk duo Bob Vylan last month. Lord Smith told The Telegraph: 'Urging death to anyone, including the IDF, is completely unacceptable. If I were the BBC, I would have pulled the feed immediately. It's what they should have done.'
Times
an hour ago
- Politics
- Times
Lord Chris Smith elected as chancellor of Cambridge University
Lord Smith of Finsbury has been announced as the new chancellor of the University of Cambridge. Smith, a Labour peer and the outgoing master of Pembroke College, Cambridge, has become the 109th chancellor and will hold the largely ceremonial position for ten years. Smith's election concluded a contest featuring ten candidates, including Lord Browne, the former chief executive of BP, and Mohamed El-Erian, a prominent economist. Sandi Toksvig, the broadcaster and award-winning author, was also among those who stood for the position. Commenting on his election, Smith said: 'To be elected as chancellor of the university I love is a huge honour. I'm thrilled. I look forward to being the best possible ambassador for Cambridge, to being a strong voice for higher education more generally, and to working closely together with the vice-chancellor and her team.' After the votes were counted, El-Erian emerged in second place, followed by Toksvig and Browne. For the first time, the election used online voting, leading to the participation of more than 23,000 alumni and staff. Nearly 2,000 chose to cast their ballots in person at the university's Senate House. Professor Deborah Prentice, the university's vice-chancellor, said: 'On behalf of everyone at the university, I offer my warm congratulations to Chris [Lord Smith] on his election. I very much look forward to working with him and building on the strong relationship that we have developed since I became vice-chancellor. Chris has had a long involvement with the university and brings a wealth of relevant experience to this important role. 'I would like to thank the other nine candidates for standing for the role and their willingness to serve Cambridge.' Smith has been the master of Pembroke since 2015 and will step down from that post at the end of July. He is a former secretary of state for culture, media and sport, and was later chairman of the Environment Agency. Announcing his candidacy in May, he said that he wanted to defend academic freedom and free speech. 'Universities must be places of rigorous intellectual inquiry and open dialogue — free from political interference,' he added.
The Independent
2 hours ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Former culture secretary Lord Chris Smith elected as Cambridge chancellor
Former culture secretary Lord Chris Smith has been elected as the next chancellor of the University of Cambridge. Lord Smith beat nine other candidates, including broadcaster Sandi Toksvig and anti-Brexit campaigner Gina Miller, in the race for the historic position. It comes after Lord Sainsbury of Turville announced last year that he intended to step down after more than a decade in the role. Lord Smith, the outgoing Master of Pembroke College in Cambridge and former Labour culture secretary under Sir Tony Blair, will hold the office for 10 years, the university announced on Wednesday. The election for the chancellor was opened to online voting for the first time, and more than 23,000 alumni and staff participated. In addition, nearly 2,000 chose to vote in person at the university's Senate House in Cambridge. The chancellor, a position which stretches back more than 800 years, is the university's formal and ceremonial head. They have no executive responsibilities, but they will be a part in advising senior members of the institution, fundraising, and acting as an ambassador for Cambridge. Lord Smith, who will step down as Master of Pembroke College later this month after a decade in the role, said: 'To be elected as chancellor of the university I love is a huge honour. I'm thrilled. 'I look forward to being the best possible ambassador for Cambridge, to being a strong voice for higher education more generally, and to working closely together with the vice-chancellor and her team.' Lord Smith served as secretary of state for culture, media and sport between 1997 and 2001. He stood down as an MP in 2005 and was made a life peer. He was also chairman of the Environment Agency from 2008 to 2014, and chairman of the Advertising Standards Authority between 2007 and 2017. Professor Deborah Prentice, vice-chancellor of the University of Cambridge, said: 'On behalf of everyone at the university, I offer my warm congratulations to Chris on his election. 'I very much look forward to working with him and building on the strong relationship that we have developed since I became vice-chancellor. 'Chris has had a long involvement with the university and brings a wealth of relevant experience to this important role. 'I would like to thank the other nine candidates for standing for the role and their willingness to serve Cambridge.' Candidates standing to be the chancellor had to secure at least 50 nominations from alumni and current staff who are members of the Regent House, the university's governing body. The election was held between July 9-18 and was conducted under the single transferable vote system. In the final round, Lord Smith received 10,569 votes, 2,129 more than second-placed candidate Dr Mohamed El-Erian, president of Queens' College, Cambridge, who received 8,440 votes. QI host and former The Great British Bake Off presenter Ms Toksvig, who had hoped to become the first female Cambridge chancellor, came third. Lord Smith also defeated Lord Browne, former BP boss, Cambridge astrophysicist Professor Wyn Evans and businesswoman Mrs Miller. In his candidate statement for chancellor, Lord Smith, who became the UK's first openly gay MP in 1984, highlighted his 'commitment to diversity, openness and ethics' and freedom of speech. He said: 'We live in a dangerous world of misinformation and 'fake news'. 'Universities are the places where facts are researched and honoured, where information is discovered and tested and debated. 'It is why a genuine commitment to freedom of speech is so important.' Lord Smith, who studied English at Pembroke College, Cambridge, said: 'It is no accident that the first target of autocrats everywhere is education; tyrants do not want people to have and acquire knowledge. 'The Chancellor has above all to be an advocate for the vital importance of knowledge and expertise.'
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Former culture secretary Lord Chris Smith elected as Cambridge chancellor
Former culture secretary Lord Chris Smith has been elected as the next chancellor of the University of Cambridge. Lord Smith beat nine other candidates, including broadcaster Sandi Toksvig and anti-Brexit campaigner Gina Miller, in the race for the historic position. It comes after Lord Sainsbury of Turville announced last year that he intended to step down after more than a decade in the role. Lord Smith, the outgoing Master of Pembroke College in Cambridge and former Labour culture secretary under Sir Tony Blair, will hold the office for 10 years, the university announced on Wednesday. The election for the chancellor was opened to online voting for the first time, and more than 23,000 alumni and staff participated. In addition, nearly 2,000 chose to vote in person at the university's Senate House in Cambridge. The chancellor, a position which stretches back more than 800 years, is the university's formal and ceremonial head. They have no executive responsibilities, but they will be a part in advising senior members of the institution, fundraising, and acting as an ambassador for Cambridge. Lord Smith, who will step down as Master of Pembroke College later this month after a decade in the role, said: 'To be elected as chancellor of the university I love is a huge honour. I'm thrilled. 'I look forward to being the best possible ambassador for Cambridge, to being a strong voice for higher education more generally, and to working closely together with the vice-chancellor and her team.' Lord Smith served as secretary of state for culture, media and sport between 1997 and 2001. He was also chairman of the Environment Agency from 2008 to 2014, and chairman of the Advertising Standards Authority between 2007 and 2017. Professor Deborah Prentice, vice-chancellor of the University of Cambridge, said: 'On behalf of everyone at the university, I offer my warm congratulations to Chris on his election. 'I very much look forward to working with him and building on the strong relationship that we have developed since I became vice-chancellor. 'Chris has had a long involvement with the university and brings a wealth of relevant experience to this important role. 'I would like to thank the other nine candidates for standing for the role and their willingness to serve Cambridge.' Candidates standing to be the chancellor had to secure at least 50 nominations from alumni and current staff who are members of the Regent House, the university's governing body. The election was held between July 9-18 and was conducted under the single transferable vote system.
Wall Street Journal
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Wall Street Journal
Germany's Call for French Nuclear Protection Gets Reality Check
BERLIN—In February, the man who would become Germany's new chancellor said the U.S. could no longer be trusted to defend his country and he would seek the protection of French and British nuclear arsenals. Five months later, the talks between Berlin and Paris about expanding the scope of France's deterrent against Russia's growing aggression are shaping up as an evolution, not a revolution, according to people familiar with the negotiations.
