Imran Khan out of Oxford chancellor race as candidates confirmed

An Oxford tour guide, a PhD student from Pakistan and a University of Cambridge undergraduate are among the 38 candidates in the running to become the University of Oxford’s next chancellor.

Imran Khan, the ex-cricketer and former prime minister of Pakistan, who applied for the role despite being imprisoned on charges of corruption, is not among those going forward to the first round of voting, which will commence on 28 October, it has been confirmed.

Announcing the candidates who have successfully submitted bids to replace Lord Patten of Barnes, who is retiring at the end of 2024-25 after 21 years in role, the university said on 16 October that applications were “considered by the chancellor’s election committee solely on the four exclusion criteria set out in the university’s regulations”.

It is likely that Mr Khan, who attended Oxford in the 1970s, was excluded in light of his criminal convictions in Pakistan, which would have been considered under criteria that invoke “fit and proper person” guidance issued by HM Revenue and Customs, used to consider the suitability of those standing as trustees and board members.

Among the front runners for the chancellor’s role who do make the longlist are the UK’s former business secretary Lord Mandelson and former Conservative Party leader Lord Hague of Richmond, who was also foreign secretary under Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton.

Two other Conservative politicians are in the running: Lord Willetts, the former universities minister, and ex-attorney general Dominic Grieve.

Other candidates include Lady Elish Angiolini, the principal of St Hugh’s College, Oxford since 2012 and a pro vice-chancellor of the university; Baroness Royall of Blaisdon, leader of the House of Lords during Gordon Brown’s premiership and the principal of Somerville College, Oxford; and businesswoman Margaret Casely-Hayford, who is currently chancellor of Coventry University.

The longlist, which will be whittled down to five candidates after staff and graduates have ranked candidates in this month’s first round of voting, includes several long-shot bids, including those from Oxford alumni, several students and academics based in India and Pakistan, and a clutch of businesspeople.

The top five candidates will be announced on 5 November, with a second round of voting taking place in the week commencing 18 November. The new chancellor will be announced in the week of 25 November.

In his statement, which is published online alongside declarations from all approved candidates, Lord Hague says he will champion free speech, stating that “Oxford should be a place of open debate – as it was for me in the Union – based on learning from the arguments of others”.

“Violence and prejudice should be countered through the rigour of reason, not the comfort blanket of cancellation. Oxford minds should be ready for the great debating chamber of the world, not the echo chambers of the like-minded,” he adds.

Meanwhile, Lord Mandelson highlights his record of working with business and on the international stage with an eye to attracting more charitable donations, noting that the university will “have to raise more money from our worldwide alumni and from philanthropists”.

Having served in government and as Britain’s European commissioner, Lord Mandelson said he aimed to use “these links at the service of the university, to help rebuild our ties in Europe as well as strengthen them in the US and Asia”.

“I would bring a clear sense of strategy and political judgement, an unwavering commitment to enhance the work and amplify the voice of the university’s world-class academics, and a proven ability to engage with British and global policymakers, as well as with business and philanthropists,” he says.

jack.grove@timeshighereducation.com