The head of the civil service has been urged to investigate the appointment of a former Conservative MP and campaign manager for Boris Johnson as head of the Office for Students, with Labour calling the move “another example of cronyism”.
James Wharton, who was an MP from 2010 to 2017 and is now a Conservative peer, was appointed to head the independent regulator of higher education in England despite having no experience of the sector.
A solicitor who later worked in the lobbying industry, Wharton represented Stockton South and held junior ministerial roles under David Cameron and Theresa May. Once out of parliament, in 2019, he was campaign manager for Johnson when he became Tory leader. He is also close to Gavin Williamson, the education secretary.
Kate Green, Labour’s shadow education secretary, has written to Simon Case, the cabinet secretary, seeking an investigation, saying Wharton “has none of the statutory qualifications for this post, and both the higher education sector and the wider public will be deeply concerned that this is simply another example of cronyism”.
As a Conservative peer, Wharton would keep the party whip, Green added, “bringing into question his ability to make independent decisions”.
Green wrote: “At a time when it is vitally important for the public to have confidence in government appointments, it is extremely disappointing that they continue to appoint those with close ties to the Conservative party to public jobs without the necessary experience or credentials.”
Wharton was announced as the preferred candidate for the role in December, with the Department for Education confirming the post on Tuesday. He starts the job in April.
Ahead of Wharton first being picked, the government’s commissioner for public appointments, Peter Riddell, warned that the panel to select the chair of the Office for Students was skewed towards Conservative supporters, risking its independence.
Along with the head civil servant at the Department for Education, Susan Acland-Hood, the five-strong panel comprises Patricia Hodgson, the ex-Ofcom head who was once a Conservative parliamentary candidate; Eric Ollerenshaw, who was a Tory MP from 2010 to 2015; Laura Wyld, a Conservative peer; and Nick Timothy, who was Theresa May’s chief of staff.
In the letter to Case, Green said it was “particularly alarming that this appointment is being made during a pandemic in which students have been forgotten by this government and are being denied a full university experience, yet Baron Wharton admits he has no direct experience in higher education”.
She added: “Gavin Williamson and Boris Johnson must be upfront about how this role was appointed and what measures have been put in place to avoid any real or perceived conflict of interest.”
In the letter, Green asks Case to explain how Wharton met the criteria for the job, and what relevant experience he possesses. She added: “Is continuing to take the Conservative whip while in post consistent with the seven principles of public life, particularly his ability to make objective decisions? Would it not be appropriate for Mr Wharton to resign the whip with immediate effect upon starting the post?”
The DfE was contacted for comment.
