David Lammy accused of misleading Parliament

Being meaning to blog about this for a little while, but elections keeping on getting in the way … so here’s the story from The Times Higher Education Supplement from a couple of weeks ago. It features David Lammy, he of the lucky second home:

MPs demand apology from Lammy as they learn there will be no new scrutiny of London Met crisis

The “independent inquiry” announced by David Lammy into the crisis at London Metropolitan University is nothing more than an ongoing exercise commissioned by the Higher Education Funding Council for England, it has emerged.

The Higher Education Minister appeared to promise a new inquiry in Parliament earlier this week. However, his department has now said that he was referring to a continuing investigation by Hefce into the “lessons to be learnt” from the debacle…

Sally Hunt, the UCU general secretary, said: “We are quite astounded by the Government’s U-turn.

“On Wednesday, the minister said there will be an inquiry, not that there was one currently under way behind closed doors. He has either misled Parliament or performed an incredible about-turn; neither action is acceptable.”