Lib Dems call for Donelan to resign

PRESS RELEASE

FROM WILTSHIRE LIBERAL DEMOCRATS

6 MARCH 2024

LIBERAL DEMOCRATS CALL FOR MICHELLE DONELAN TO RESIGN

Brian Mathew, the Liberal Democrats’ prospective party candidate (PPC) for the Melksham and Devizes constituency, and Sarah Gibson PPC for Chippenham, have called for Michelle Donelan to resign from the Cabinet after making wrongful accusations against two academics. They have also demanded a public inquiry into the use of taxpayers’ money to pay damages and costs to the pair.

Donelan, Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, agreed to pay damages and costs to Professor Kate Sang of Heriot-Watt University after suggesting she supported Hamas and to Dr Kamna Patel of University College London whom she said shared extremist material.

The two women had been appointed in January 2023 to the UK Research and Innovation organisation’s Expert Advisory Group on Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion.[1]

In October, Donelan called on X (formerly Twitter) for the two women to resign from the group, saying they appeared to contravene the Nolan Principles on behaviour in public life.[2] Her allegations appeared to have been based on a now deleted press release from the Policy Exchange think tank.[3]  UKRI conducted an investigation, saying it found no failure to uphold the Nolan Principles.[4] Donelan has now paid damages to the two academics, reportedly funded by taxpayers’ money, avoiding a high profile libel case.[5] 

Brian Mathew, prospective party candidate for Melksham and Devizes, which Donelan will contest in the next election said: “There should now be a Cabinet Office inquiry to find out exactly what happened and how much public money was spent. These things should be in the open and not covered up. We want to know why a Cabinet Minister made a cheap political point on Twitter based on a press release she had not checked out. Frankly, I thought Michelle Donelan was above this kind of thing. Now the taxpayer is paying the price.” 

Sarah Gibson, prospective party candidate for Chippenham where Donelan is currently MP, said: “Michelle Donelan must resign from her post as Science Secretary because this incident will have irretrievably damaged her credibility in the academic community. Any scientist or technologist she deals with now will see her as the minister who not only defamed two academics but did so without properly examining the evidence.  She has lost authority in the world in which she works and must step down.”

Prof Sang’s lawyer, Tamsin Allen, said: "It is extraordinary that a Minister should be guided by a lobby group into making serious false allegations about private citizens without doing the first piece of due diligence".[6]

Contact:

Dr Brian Mathew: 07771 607983

Sarah Gibson: 07501 719197

[1] https://www.ukri.org/news/ukri-and-the-british-academy-fund-edi-network-to-boost-ri-in-uk/

[2] https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/michelle-donelan-libel-damages-academic-b2507757.html

[3] https://wonkhe.com/wp-content/wonkhe-uploads/2023/10/PX-Research-England-Palestine-Note.pdf

[4] https://www.ukri.org/news/outcome-of-investigation-research-england-edi-expert-advisory-group/

[5] https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/michelle-donelan-libel-damages-academic-b2507757.html

[6] https://www.bindmans.com/knowledge-hub/news/minister-forced-into-climb-down-over-academic-comments-on-gaza/