University of Edinburgh warns of staff cuts as it faces £140m financial deficit

The University of Edinburgh’s £140m forecast deficit would be the largest among British universities. Photograph: Kay Roxby/Alamy

The University of Edinburgh is facing a £140m black hole that demands radical actions including job cuts, according to its vice-chancellor, as it becomes the latest higher education institution to reveal its financial turmoil.

Prof Peter Mathieson, the university’s leader, told staff that “the magnitude of the financial gap that we need to close” amounted to 10% of its annual turnover.