Conservative MPs reject Lib Dems' choice for university admissions chief Prof Les Ebdon, a critic of higher tuition fees
The Lib Dems have suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of their Conservative coalition partners after a committee of MPs vetoed Vince Cable's choice of new university access tsar.
Cable, who as business secretary has responsibility for universities, had endorsed Prof Les Ebdon for the role of director of the Office for Fair Access, the higher education access watchdog.
The watchdog's current director, Sir Martin Harris, is stepping down in April.
Tory MPs were said to be outraged that Ebdon, an advocate of new universities and a critic of higher fees, was the coalition's preferred choice. He had warned that, given the role, he would consider imposing large fines on elite institutions that did not take their fair share of disadvantaged students.
MPs on the cross-party Commons business, innovation and skills select committee recommended the coalition conduct "a new recruitment exercise". Select committees have new powers to reject major public appointments. The government could overrule the MPs, but it is more likely to restart the recruitment process.
In their report on the hearing, the MPs said that although Ebdon "demonstrated an all-round understanding of widening participation, we were not convinced by his descriptions of the root causes of the obstacles to accessing universities.
"Therefore, we have to question his evidence in respect of two of the criteria for selection, namely 'promote the strengths of the arguments in face of opposition' and 'communicate persuasively and publicly, with excellent presentational stills'."
The MPs said they were "unable to endorse the appointment of Professor Ebdon … and we recommend that the department conduct a new recruitment exercise."
They said the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) should ensure there was "sufficient flexibility in the job description and package to attract the widest range of quality applicants to the job". There were thought to be few applicants for the role.
A spokeswoman for Cable said he "remained of the view" that Ebdon was the right candidate for the role. "He will urgently consider the select committee's recommendation and respond shortly, she said. The appointment is now said to involve David Cameron and his deputy, Nick Clegg.
In his pre-appointment hearing in front of MPs last week, Ebdon advocated what he called a "nuclear option": forbidding institutions from charging maximum fees of £9,000 a year if they did not do enough to widen access.
Private schools and the country's 20 leading research universities are thought to have lobbied against Ebdon's appointment. Critics have accused Ebdon, who is vice-chancellor of the University of Bedfordshire, of defending "Mickey Mouse" degrees.
In an article for the Guardian in September 2008, Ebdon wrote: "Subjects such as media and cultural studies, fashion design and consumer software computing are far from professionally irrelevant or academically unchallenging. The development of a huge range of interdisciplinary graduate courses has been crucial to the success of the continually evolving creative economy in which Britain is now a world leader."
Michael Gove, the education secretary, was said to be against Ebdon getting the role, while David Willetts, the universities minister, was in favour. Cable and other Lib Dems are thought to believe that Ebdon would improve social mobility and fairness in university admissions.
Only those MPs on the select committee who attended the pre-appointment hearing were allowed to vote. Two Labour and one Lib Dem failed to attend. Four Conservative MPs rejected Ebdon, while two Labour MPs endorsed him. Another Conservative, Brian Binley, was not present at a final meeting and the chair of the committee, Adrian Bailey, a Labour MP, did not use his casting vote.
Paul Blomfield, a Labour MP who did not vote, told Times Higher Education magazine that Ebdon had been the victim of a "political ambush" which "had more to do with coalition politics than concern with access to our universities".
"It is students from poorer backgrounds who will suffer from this appalling game-playing," he said.
Liam Burns, president of the National Union of Students, said the blocking of Ebdon's appointment "risked severely undermining attempts to ensure fair access to universities".
Under the government's changes to tuition fees, any university wanting to charge more than £6,000 a year must draw up an "access agreement" saying how it intends not to put off poorer students.
The Office for Fair Access can fine universities £500,000 for falling short of targets, or refuse to sanction an access agreement, in effect banning them from charging more than £6,000.
Data shows the poorest 40% of students are seven times less likely to be admitted to the 20 most prestigious universities than the richest 10%.
Cable, in a letter to the chair of the select committee, Adrian Bailey, wrote that he and Willetts considered the watchdog director to be an "extremely important post, central to the government's objectives for fair access in higher education".
"I am delighted to be able to inform you that we have chosen Professor Les Ebdon as our preferred candidate." Ebdon has 44 years of experience in higher education."
The Office for Fair Access aims to encourage greater numbers of students to apply to higher education from low-income families and other under-represented groups, such as some ethnic minorities. It also tries to encourage universities to give applicants clear information about courses and financial support.