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Last modified on Thu 11 Feb 2021 00.11 EST
The head of the civil service has been urged to investigate the appointment of a former Conservative MP and campaign manager for Boris Johnson as head of the Office for Students, with Labour calling the move “another example of cronyism”.
James Wharton, who was an MP from 2010 to 2017 and is now a Conservative peer, was appointed to head the independent regulator of higher education in England despite having no experience of the sector.
A solicitor who later worked in the lobbying industry, Wharton represented Stockton South and held junior ministerial roles under David Cameron and Theresa May. Once out of parliament, in 2019, he was campaign manager for Johnson when he became Tory leader. He is also close to Gavin Williamson, the education secretary.
Boris Johnson was at the centre of another cronyism row today after a Tory peer who led his leadership election campaign was appointed to lead England s independent higher education regulator.
Lord Wharton of Yarm was appointed as chairman of the Office for Students (OfS) on a £60,000 salary for a two-day week by Education Secretary Gavin Williamson.
The former MP for Stockton South, 36, ran Mr Johnson s leadership campaign in 2019, working alongside Mr Williamson to install him in Downing Street in place of Theresa May.
Labour today demanded an investigation into the appointment after Lord Wharton suggested he could retain his party s whip in the House of Lords if confirmed in the supposedly impartial post.
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