The author of a widely condemned, government-backed race report has criticised a university for withdrawing its honorary degree offer because of the controversy surrounding him.
Tony Sewell, 62, was appointed by Boris Johnson, a friend and former colleague of his, to chair a body which produced a report suggesting there was no evidence of institutional racism in the UK and chattel slavery was not just about “profit and suffering”.
The Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities (CRED) was established in the wake of global Black Lives Matter demonstrations in 2020, but its findings were met with a backlash from politicians and equalities campaigners who accused the group of “cherry-picking data” and pushing “propaganda”, while the United Nations described it as “attempt to normalise white supremacy”.
Experts named in the report publicly expressed shock at their purported involvement and the chair invoked Bob Marley lyrics in defence of his role in the report.
The University of Nottingham approached Mr Sewell with plans to bestow upon him the accolade in 2019, but then contacted him in December explaining that they were unable to see the offer through because of the “political controversy” that had followed since the CRED report.
In an interview with Daily Mail, the academic 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?”
Referring to convicted entertainers R Kelly and Bill Cosby, Mr 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.”
Mr Sewell is the CEO of Generating Genius, a charity geared towards helping black children get into higher education.
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.”
The spokesperson added: “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.”
