David Lammy in Twitter spat with Oxford University after it retweets criticism of 'bitter' Labour MP for highlighting diversity figures
The University of Oxford has come under fierce criticism for retweeting a post calling London MP David Lammy “bitter” after he highlighted the institution’s poor diversity figures.
The prestigious university and the Tottenham MP have become embroiled in a Twitter row after Mr Lammy published admissions statistics obtained from Freedom of Information requests.
They showed white students are twice as likely to get a place at Oxford as black students, while those who grow up in the South are also far more likely to get a place than their northern counterparts.
The Labour MP, who has repeatedly criticised Oxford and Cambridge over their records on admissions, said the figures showed little had changed in recent years.
"The truth is that Oxford is still a bastion of white, middle class, southern privilege," he told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.
But the university hit back on Twitter by retweeting a string of supportive posts from students. One, written by Liam Beadle, said: “As a member of the University from inner-city northern England, I think Mr Lammy’s constant bitter criticism of Oxford is bang out of order.”
The politician was quick to respond as a host of other politicians and public figures took aim at the university's handling of his criticism on the social media site.
Hello @UniofOxford is it your official position that I am "bitter" just because I am prepared to criticise your institutional failings on access, FOI the data and publish it? This contradicts your press statements that say how determined you are to improve access. Which is right? pic.twitter.com/K9pkojAdJv
— David Lammy (@DavidLammy) May 23, 2018
He wrote: “Hello @UniofOxford is it your official position that I am "bitter" just because I am prepared to criticise your institutional failings on access, FOI the data and publish it?
“This contradicts your press statements that say how determined you are to improve access. Which is right?”
The university’s director of public affairs, Ceri Thomas, then took to his own Twitter account to personally apologise to Mr Lammy.
Hello @DavidLammy Apologies: it was my call to retweet our students including @liambeadle. But we agree with you that Oxford needs to do more and criticism of us is no sign of bitterness. There’s been progress, but work to do.
— Ceri Thomas (@CeriThomas01) May 23, 2018
“Apologies: it was my call to retweet our students including @liambeadle,” he wrote.
“But we agree with you that Oxford needs to do more and criticism of us is no sign of bitterness. There’s been progress, but work to do.”
However, the retweet was not taken down from the university’s official feed.
The institution has been heavily criticised for its response to Mr Lammy’s publishing of the data.
Labour MP Yvette Cooper hit out at the university for making "too many lame excuses" and called the response "rubbish".
Too many lame excuses from @UniofOxford for dismal performance on diversity & equality. They’ve been challenged on this for decades yet they still just use same woolly words then little changes. @DavidLammy had to force these figs out of them, but their response is still rubbish
— Yvette Cooper (@YvetteCooperMP) May 23, 2018
ITV presenter Robert Peston said he felt "embarrassed" to have attended the university, tweeting: "This morning I feel embarrassed to have gone to Oxford University. The statistics on its institutional bias against black (and north eastern) candidates are appalling. Where is the unhedged apology? Where is the credible plan to correct?"
This morning I feel embarrassed to have gone to Oxford University. The statistics on its institutional bias against black (and north eastern) candidates are appalling. Where is the unhedged apology? Where is the credible plan to correct?
— Robert Peston (@Peston) May 23, 2018
When one person questioned whether Mr Lammy was criticising Oxford simply because he had failed to get a place there himself, the MP responded: "Harvard law school mate, all the best."
INTHENEWS: #Oxford University 'failing' on diversity, says #Lammy.
No: you couldn't get in could you? Had to get your second class degree at the School of Oriental and African Studies.
We are all very impressed! pic.twitter.com/77yHVvcXLN— Nicholas Walker Ph.D (@Nicknackwalker) May 23, 2018
Harvard Law School mate. All the best. https://t.co/HCknEnXfgc
— David Lammy (@DavidLammy) May 23, 2018
Samina Khan, the director of undergraduate admissions, had earlier defended the university on the Today programme.
"The reason for that is that you are looking a very different applicant pools. One is very large - that is the white pool in terms of who gets three As and above (at a A-level) - and the other one is very small," she said.
"We are not getting the right number of black people with the talent to apply to us and that is why we are pushing very hard on our outreach activity to make sure we make them feel welcome and they realise Oxford is for them."
The Standard has contacted the University of Oxford for further comment.