The author of a government race report has labelled a university 'cowards' after it withdrew its offer to award him an honorary degree. Dr Tony Sewell CBE, who runs a charity helping black children get into higher education, wrote a major study for Boris Johnson which concluded Britain’s multi-racial society was a 'model' to the world.
The report, which was published last March, found that there was no evidence that the UK was institutionally racist. This provoked criticisms that the report was insulting and divisive.
As a result, the University of Nottingham, which had decided to offer Dr Sewell an honorary degree in late 2019, withdrew the offer last year. The university has said this was due to Dr Sewell becoming a ‘subject of political controversy’, with strict criteria meaning it would no longer be appropriate to award the degree.
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Speaking to the Daily Mail, Dr Sewell, who is an alumnus of the University of Nottingham, said: "I have helped thousands of black children from poor backgrounds to get into universities. I’m a one-man levelling-upper.
"But [Nottingham University] said it would no longer be appropriate to award me the degree because they didn’t want to offend the students at an award ceremony. How can you offend students with a report which says the equalities watchdog should have more power, that stop and search should be improved and that we need to get more people from ethnic minorities into university?"
Referencing disgraced entertainers R Kelly and Bill Cosby, Dr Sewell continued: ‘These are the type of people you decide to withdraw honours from. But they [the university] have acted like cowards, subject to lobbying groups. I thought the work of a university was to deal with complex issues? [But] universities in England are like the Soviet Union. There is no free speech."
Later this week, the Government is expected to publish its long-awaited response to the report and Dr Sewell is hopeful they will accept many of his recommendations. The University of Nottingham has defended its decision, citing strict criteria on awarding honorary degrees and that a sincere apology had been offered.
A University of Nottingham spokesperson said: “The University has strict criteria governing the award of honorary degrees, as these are conferred at our public graduation ceremonies. The criteria preclude us from awarding them to figures who become the subject of political controversy.
“Since making the decision to confer an honorary degree in late 2019, the University’s Honorary Degrees Committee noted that Mr Sewell became the subject of political controversy during 2021, and as such determined it would no longer be appropriate to award the degree.
“In withdrawing the offer, the University is categorically not making any judgement on Mr Sewell personally or expressing a view on his work. It is simply about ensuring that we apply the same criteria to all of those we consider for the accolade of an honorary degree from the University of Nottingham.
“We fully appreciate that was disappointing news and last December we offered Mr Sewell a sincere apology alongside an explanation for the decision. He remains a notable alumnus of the University, and it is deeply unfortunate that we have had to withdraw the offer.”
