The University of Oxford has shelved plans to vet candidates vying to become its Chancellor after a slew of accusations from ministers the institution was trying to "stitch up" the process in order to stop another white male politician entering the role.
Oxford officials would have been given the power to disqualify candidates who put themselves forward for the election - which is voted on by Oxford graduates - but the university is walking back from these plans in a U-turn set to be announced later today, the Times revealed.
The institution has also ditched proposals that any vetting committee would work with "due regard to the principles of equality and diversity" when weighing up would-be Chancellors.
Senior government ministers had slated the to-be-shelved plans as "wokeism gone mad" and accused university officials of attempting to install their own choice of candidates - and the move is understood to have been made to allay such concerns.
Chris Patten, Baron Patten of Barnes, is Oxford's current chancellor
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Neil O'Brien, Tory MP for Harborough, claimed Oxford seemed intent on "imposing an eastern bloc-style managed democracy" in which only a small group of officials would be able to decide who "if anyone, is allowed to go forward for election".
Critics have also said the outgoing plans represented attempts by university bigwigs to install a more "modern" candidate as Chancellor - which, since 1715, is a role that has been held by male former politicians.
The university's current Chancellor - a ceremonial role - is currently Chris Patten, Baron Patten of Barnes, the 28th and final Governor of Hong Kong, while figures including Sir Tony Blair and Theresa May have been discussed potential successors.
The original draft of the now-ditched rules, published in March, said a Chancellor's election committee, made up of senior university staff, would "consider all those [applications] it has received, and, having due regard to the principles of equality and diversity and the approved role specification, determine which candidates are eligible to progress to the next stage of the election process".
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Ex-PMs Sir Tony Blair and Theresa May have been mentioned as possible heirs to the role
PA
But it had been viewed by critics as an attempt by Oxford to "vet" candidates, handing officials power to veto those it did not like.
Though supporters insisted the process was designed to ensure that only suitable candidates went forward for a vote, which, for the first time, was set to be held online instead of in person at Oxford.
After the U-turn, the new voting rules will clarify that the committee will put forward all candidates for election unless they fail to meet a much narrower range of criteria, including being a student or employee of the university, or a serving member of an elected legislature such as the House of Commons.
But Oxford has denied the new rules amount to a policy change, insisting the changes have been made to remove "any ambiguity" from the election process.
O’Brien, who led the criticism of the original plan, said Oxford's move was a "welcome victory for common sense".
He added: "Universities have been drifting towards too many poorly thought out equality and diversity policies. I am glad on this occasion there has been a rethink."
The university said: "Through the proposed amendment to the regulations, the university council's intent is to remove any ambiguity and reinforce the intent of the original regulation that the election committee will have no role in the vetting or selection of any nominations for chancellor.
"Our requirement to comply with the public sector equality duty remains unchanged."
