The University of Buckingham’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor James Tooley, was suspended a couple of weeks ago after a number of unspecified allegations were made against him. He has since dismissed those allegations, which originated with his estranged wife, as “baseless and malicious” (THE).
On Friday 11th October, Prof Tooley was called into an “urgent” meeting by Mark St John Qualter, chair of Buckingham’s council, which functions as its governing body. What followed was an Orwellian discussion in which he was told he was being suspended because he’d been accused of something “serious”, although he wasn’t told who by, or what the allegation was.
Tooley, who is famous for his free speech campaigning and ‘anti-woke’ views, was then given two hours to vacate his grace-and-favour residence, Ondaatje Hall, leave the campus, and told not to return without permission.
For reasons which remain unclear, Quilter took it upon himself to email all staff and students at 9pm that same day, informing them that he’d suspended Tooley following “a number of serious allegations”. The students were left to speculate about what these allegations might be, but would have concluded they were very serious indeed judging from the security guards posted outside Professor Tooley’s front door in case he tried to return.
Incidentally, the Council has now acknowledged that the eviction was unlawful and Professor Tooley has been allowed to return to his home.
An “update” has since been emailed to Buckingham’s staff by Harriet Dunbar-Morris, an administrator who, in Tooley’s absence, has been promoted to “interim co-head”. Despite her message no longer describing the allegations against Tooley as “serious”, it revealed that a supposedly “thorough and impartial investigation” has now been “initiated”.
In a statement issued through solicitors, Tooley described the claims as “baseless and malicious”, and said he looked forward to being vindicated in due course. An article in the Mail last week corroborated Tooley’s defence, revealing the allegations all originated with his estranged wife, whom he’s in the process of divorcing. The most “serious” of them, according to the Mail, is that Tooley kept a toy gun in his bedside table.
Prof Tooley is a member of the FSU, and we have reached out to him to offer any help he needs during – and potentially after – Ms Dunbar-Morris’s “thorough and impartial investigation”.
We have also written to Dr Arif Ahmed, the Director for Freedom of Speech and Academic Freedom at the Office for Students, asking him to investigate the behaviour of Buckingham’s governing body. Would these apparently vexatious allegations have been taken so seriously – and merited a suspension – if the Vice-Chancellor wasn’t such an outspoken critic of woke gobbledegook?
In the meantime, please do share and sign this petition, which urges the university council to reassess Quilter’s decision to suspend Prof Tooley and initiate an immediate recall and reinstatement. Organised by a Visiting Lecturer in Buckingham’s Humanities and Social Sciences department, Dr Adekunle Osibogun, the petition states:
“We believe in the principles of due process and fairness in all actions, values that are at the core of our academic community. Unfortunately, these principles were blatantly ignored in the action taken against our Vice-Chancellor. This unpreceded suspension raises concerns and questions about the equity and fairness of the process, such that an independent inquiry agreed by both the University and the Vice-Chancellor will be required to thoroughly test the allegations.”
You can sign the petition here.
