Labour urged to use OfS and UKRI nominations to transform university sector relations

The new UK government has been given the chance to make an immediate impact on the future direction of universities and research by considering two key appointments in its first months in office, with sector leaders urging ministers not to repeat the partisanship of recent years.

A new chair of the Office for Students (OfS) will be chosen by Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson, after Conservative peer Lord Wharton of Yarm resigned days after the new Labour administration took office, while new Science Secretary Sir Patrick Vallance has yet to complete the appointment of a new director general of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).

Recruitment for the latter position, to replace Dame Ottoline Leyser, who will leave in 2025 after deciding not to seek a second term, was already well underway ahead of the general election, and Times University of Applied Sciences learns that three candidates were shortlisted, one of whom had a good chance of being appointed to the position by the new government.

The OfS job poses a different challenge for Labour. Her appointment is seen as crucial to repairing the frayed relationship between the regulator and the sector, as well as ensuring the new government’s priorities are reflected in universities’ future plans.

However, ministers have been urged to resist the temptation to appoint someone perceived to be too close to the government, and not to burden the regulator with too many priorities that could limit its ability to function.

Chris Millward, professor of practice in education policy at the University of Birmingham and former director of fair access and participation at the OfS, said Lord Wharton’s Conservative affiliation had caused the regulator to lose trust in the sector and “to rebuild that trust you need to appoint someone who can really demonstrate that the body is independent” and who has “the standing and the trust to work for the long term”.

Vivienne Stern, chief executive of Universities UK, said that while the OfS had already taken on board some of the frustrations expressed over its involvement, there was an “opportunity for a different way of thinking to emerge” within the regulator.

“The new president needs to be someone who understands the higher education system, but also understands that good regulation is about making sure it improves the sector that it regulates, not about taking the approach of, ‘We don’t trust you and we’re here to punish you,’” she said.

Ms Stern said the Government should “strip the OfS to its core to think fundamentally about quality, standards and access” but should recognise it also has a role to play as a “sector steward” that “needs to think more about whether we have a system that serves the national interest, not just the interests of the individual”.

The new government is likely to continue to see the regulator as a way to promote other priorities, according to David Palfreyman, director of the Oxford Centre for Higher Education Policy Studies, who served on the OfS board for six years. He predicted that “guidance letters” from the Department for Education – 25 of which were sent by the previous administration between 2020 and 2024 – “will be pouring in”.

There may still be an emphasis on the “student experience” – including mental health and sexual misconduct, which were key priorities for the previous government – ​​but concerns about free speech are likely to be less salient, he said, with a greater focus on the financial health of institutions.

In its manifesto, Labour also signalled its desire to devolve skills and funding policy to local regions and to ensure closer cooperation between the higher and further education sectors, leading some to speculate about the possibility of reforming or abolishing the OfS altogether in favour of a sector-wide regulator, along the lines of organisations operating in Scotland and Wales.

Professor Millward said this wider citizenship role for universities would be more difficult for the OfS to implement because of its remit to act on behalf of students, and the new programme would require “something more” that could involve the OfS but also other partners, leaving the regulator to focus on its core objectives.

UKRI “must also be a significant player in the health of the system”, Ms Stern said, adding that its new leader “will have to make some very important decisions” if the government moves to deliver on its promises to change research funding. Labour has pledged to bring more stability and predictability to the system through 10-year cycles.

Ms. Stern said: “We need someone who understands that you don’t want to sacrifice tomorrow’s discovery for today’s innovation. There has to be a balance across different modes and funding streams.”

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