Toby Young row: Boris Johnson defends uni regulator board member's 'caustic wit'
The Foreign Secretary brands criticism of Toby Young's online comments a "ridiculous outcry", as a Tory peer attacked the remarks.
Wednesday 3 January 2018 17:33, UK
A row is threatening to overshadow the new universities watchdog after Boris Johnson was forced to defend one of its board members.
The Foreign Secretary said there had a "ridiculous outcry" over writer Toby Young's new role when historical online comments he wrote re-surfaced.
Mr Young was named as a board member on the new Office for Students (OfS) watchdog by Mr Johnson's brother, Universities Minister Jo Johnson, on Monday.
Among critics of the move was Tory peer Lord Cooper of Windrush, who claimed Mr Young had left a "trail of vile, leering nastiness" on Twitter.
He described it as the "latest example of the Tory values failure, which is killing them".
And Conservative MP Margot James said that while Mr Young was worthy of his appointment, he had "belittled" a history of "sexist comments" by using language to "dismiss" the "unacceptable" behaviour.
Mr Young's previous posts include a 2012 tweet when he wrote watching Prime Minister's Questions: "Serious cleavage behind Ed Miliband's head. Anyone know who it belongs to?"
A 2009 post also read: "What happened to Winkleman's breasts (sic) Put on some weight, girlie #comicrelief."
And in a column for the Spectator magazine Mr Johnson used to edit, Mr Young complained: "Inclusive. It's one of those ghastly, politically correct words that has survived the demise of New Labour. Schools have got to be 'inclusive' these days.
"That means wheelchair ramps, the complete works of Alice Walker in the school library (though no Mark Twain) and a Special Educational Needs Department that can cope with everything from Dyslexia to Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy."
Mr Young later said he regretted the "sophomoric, politically incorrect remarks", adding: "I hope people will judge me on my actions."
He suggested that some of his previous comments had been "deliberately misinterpreted" in a bid to portray him as "a caricature of a heartless Tory toff".
Mr Young argued that a lack of higher education experience did not disqualify him from the role and that his track record in the education sector, which has seen him encourage disadvantaged teenagers to apply to top institutions and co-found four schools, made him suitable for the position.
And he was backed by Mr Johnson, a former colleague, who said that the free schools pioneer would bring "independence, rigour and caustic wit" to the role.
"Ideal man for (the) job," he added.
Michael Gove also defended Mr Young, a long-term ally, on Twitter.
The former education secretary, who brought in a number of schools reforms during the coalition government, said Mr Young had "set up great comprehensive schools bringing academic excellence to all - we need intellectual diversity in the education debate".
The OfS was set up to hold universities to account on issues like vice-chancellor's pay and free speech on campus.
Education Secretary Justine Greening said it would make sure the "world-class reputation" of UK higher education was maintained.