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Hague awards eight recipients with honorary degrees at special ceremony

Alice Rubli
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Hague awards eight recipients with honorary degrees at special ceremony

Eight honorary degrees were conferred by William Hague, Chancellor of Oxford, today at a Special Honorary Degree Ceremony. Among the recipients were presenter of the ‘The Rest is History’ podcast Dr Dominic Sandbrook; writer and conservationist Isabella Tree; and award-winning journalist Christina Lamb.

The other honorands were lawyer and former Principal of St Hugh’s College, Lady Elish Angiolini; former US Secretary of State John Kerry; President of Magdalen College Dinah Rose; Vice-Chancellor of the University Professor Irene Tracey; and political scientist and broadcaster Professor Sir John Curtice.

Image credit: Polina Kim for Cherwell.

Following the ceremony, which took place in the Sheldonian Theatre, the honorands processed under the Bridge of Sighs and along New College Lane.  

Speaking one year on from the start of his Chancellorship, Hague said in a press release: “I am delighted to honour eight exceptional individuals today, whose achievements and dedication to their respective fields has been a personal inspiration to me.”

Having announced nine honorands last year, eight of the degrees were awarded today, with one to be conferred at the next Encaenia, a ceremony which takes place every year in the ninth week of Trinity Term. Today’s event, which follows a similar format to Encaenia, is a Special Honorary Degree Ceremony which marks the start of Hague’s Chancellorship and allows him to nominate “distinguished individuals” to receive honorary degrees.

Image credit: Polina Kim for Cherwell.

Dominic Sandbrook has authored several books, as well as written and produced documentary series, and presents ‘The Rest is History’ podcast with fellow historian Tom Holland. He told Cherwell about his fond memories of Oxford and his tutors “who inspired my love of history and literature, and I’ve been very fortunate that through my books and podcasts, I’ve been able to share my passions with readers and listeners all over the world”.

Professor Sir John Curtice told Cherwell of his gratitude for having an environment “in which I was able to lay the foundations for the career I have had the privilege to pursue as an academic student of and commentator on public opinion and politics”. Curtice’s honorary degree reflects the achievements of his work as a political scientist, having become known for his interpretation of polls and survey data.

Image credit: Polina Kim for Cherwell.

He told Cherwell: “Today’s recognition of my work via the award of an honorary degree is well beyond the hopes and aspirations I had during that formative time in the dreaming spires – and consequently is much treasured.”

Christina Lamb is Chief Foreign Correspondent for The Sunday Times and a Cherwell alumna. She told Cherwell about the thrill of “being awarded an Oxford honorary doctor of letters [sic]”. She said: “It’s the most wonderful privilege and I haven’t really stopped smiling. To me it’s recognition of all those many people round the world who have bravely told their stories at a time when sometimes it can seem no one is listening.”

Image credit: Polina Kim for Cherwell.

Dinah Rose walked alongside Isabella Tree during the procession. She told Cherwell she was “utterly delighted to have been nominated for an honorary doctorate by the Chancellor. It is a great privilege to represent Lord Hague’s own college, Magdalen, in this way”. Rose is particularly interested in areas of law including human rights and civil liberties, and has appeared before several courts and major jurisdictions over the years. 

The honorands followed behind the Chancellor and processed along Queen’s Lane and High Street to arrive at Magdalen College for a formal, celebratory lunch.

Remembering Jaipal Singh Munda, an Adivasi pioneer

Sofia Mollona
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Remembering Jaipal Singh Munda, an Adivasi pioneer

Hemant Soren, the Chief Minister of Jharkhand, visited St John’s College on 23rd January to pay tribute to his ancestor, Jaipal Singh Munda, who graduated from the University of Oxford in 1926. Jaipal Singh was from a remote village and, following his university education,  went on to become a statesman in the Constituent Assembly of India. Today, he is recognised as a seminal figure in advocating for the rights of Adivasis (Indigenous and tribal peoples), who account for nearly 100 million people in India.  

Chief Minister Hemant Soren, on an official state visit, was welcomed at All Souls College on Friday afternoon. The event was organised by Professor Alpa Shah, an anthropologist and fellow of the College, whose fieldwork in Jharkhand, during which she lived among Adivasi communities, spans over 20 years. After a formal welcome in Nagpuri, the Chief Minister paid tribute to Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, the former President of India, who was a philosopher and fellow of All Souls. Following this, the delegation was received in the President’s lodgings at St John’s College, where an exhibition of  archives relating to Jaipal Singh Munda, an Adivasi who matriculated at the College in 1922 to read Politics, Philosophy, and Economics, had been laid out.

Addressing the President of St John’s, Dame Sue Black, and a room full of scholars, the Chief Minister said he was impressed to see these records preserved, which give insight into the incredible life of Jaipal Singh Munda. The collection contains several photographs and documents relating to his student life at the College. He stated that it would be a pleasure to co-host a joint archive with the government of Jharkhand and St John’s College to continue preserving the legacy of Adivasi scholarship. 

The evening ended at the Blavatnik School of Government, with the Chief Minister in conversation with Professor Alpa Shah and Professor Maya Tudor, examining how Jharkhand, an Indigenous-majority state, but also a mineral-rich one, was looking  to the future. The Chief Minister’s vision for 2050 revolves around shifting from an extraction-based economy,  centred on removing and exporting natural resources from the land, to an inclusive one. He was asked tough questions about how he would ensure that mining was not colonised by outsiders and did not dispossess, exploit, and further impoverish Adivasis, as it had in the past. In his responses he recognised the importance of these questions, which went to the heart of the values that Jaipal Singh Munda fought for. 

Jaipal Singh Munda was born in 1903 in the small village of Takra. He arrived in England in 1918 under the patronage of Canon William Cosgrove. Arriving at Oxford in 1922, he described himself as the ‘only Asiatic’ there, as Asians were then referred to. Non-European students were both hyper-visible and socially marginalised within elite academic institutions. As an Adivasi, historically positioned outside India’s caste hierarchy, Jaipal Singh was doubly marginalised even among other Indians. Yet the archives reveal how Jaipal Singh’s brilliance extended to many aspects of college life. 

A photo from 1925 shows the St John’s College Hockey Team, with Jaipal Singh smiling in the centre as their captain. That same year, he earned a Blue and became president of St John’s College Debating Society in October. Through these societies, Jaipal Singh was able to connect with and establish himself among the intellectual elites of Britain. His prowess as a sportsman should not go unnoticed, as it took him to the Amsterdam Olympic Games in 1928, where he captained the Indian Hockey Team that won a gold medal. From early on, then, Jaipal Singh displayed his talents as a naturally skilled leader. In the collection at St John’s, you can see an entry in the Debating Society’s Minute Book, signed by him as president on the 16th November 1925. Under his leadership, the society debated issues such as ‘This House deplores the existing public school system’, ‘This University stands in urgent need of reform’, and ‘That the spirit of nationalism is incompatible with world peace’, questions still very much pertinent today. 

The archives at St John’s show the life of a talented man, who deserves more recognition than he has received, both internationally and nationally. However, his story goes beyond that of a man defying all financial and societal odds to thrive in one of the most traditional institutions in the world. Professor Shah, who has worked on the legacy of Jaipal Singh Munda, says his contribution as a statesman is equally exceptional; he spent his career striving for the rights and recognition of some of the most marginalised communities in the world. 

After a few years in the British Colonial Service, during which he moved among British and Indian elites, Jaipal Singh became aware in 1938 of an Adivasi agitation in what is now the state of Jharkhand. Adivasis were resisting the seizure of their land and forests by powerful higher-caste outsiders, but their concerns were ignored by the state. At this moment, Jaipal Singh Munda resolved to fight for his people’s future. After returning home, he led the Adivasi Mahasabha party (the great Adivasi assembly), and in 1946 was sent to the Constituent Assembly, an elected body tasked with drafting India’s Constitution. Meanwhile, he also set up a weekly bulletin, the Adivasi Sakam, which brought greater awareness to the ongoing oppression that Adivasis faced. When speaking for the first time at the Constituent Assembly, he declared that he was proud to be a ‘jungli’ – a pejorative term used in India to disparage Adivasis. In one of his most powerful speeches to the Assembly, he stated:“You cannot teach democracy to the tribal people; you have to learn democratic ways from them. They are the most democratic people on earth.”

His life was dedicated to recognising Adivasi rights and their claim to the land, Shah notes in an essay on Jaipal Singh Munda for the Indian magazine, Outlook. He championed better working conditions; Adivasis were often forced to travel long distances to work low-income jobs within large corporations. Often, these corporations would displace communities, seeking the valuable mineral resources contained within the land. He also defended Adivasi cultural practices and advocated for their egalitarian social organisation. Shah tells me her own research shows how in Adivasi communities, leaders can be randomly selected and rotated, so that no single family could consolidate enduring power or authority. She also noted that Adivasi marriages were brought about by the free choice of both partners, unlike other places in India. “Gender roles were grounded in mutual respect, reflecting a broader culture of dignity”, she observed. Indeed, Jaipal Singh himself complained about the lack of women representatives within the Constituent Assembly.  

In doing so, he challenged the prevailing ‘jungli’ conception of Adivasis as backwards and primitive. Drawing on the rhetorical skills he had honed at Oxford, Jaipal Singh’s position at the Constituent Assembly was crucial in challenging prejudices and served as a representative voice for those most marginalised. He recognised that the problems of inequality for Adivasis came not only from the legacy of British colonial rule, but from within India’s class and caste hierarchies. He was the primary force behind the movement towards a separate Adivasi state which would secure both their rights and land ownership. However, the state of Jharkhand was only formed in 2000, 30thirty years after Jaipal Singh died, amidst continued patterns of dispossession and alienation of Adivasis. 

Honouring Jaipal Singh Munda’s legacy is more crucial now than ever, as the state determines its developmental priorities. Even though Adivasis live on some of the greatest mineral reserves in the world, they remain some of the poorest in India. Despite Jaipal Singh’s work, Jharkhand’s founding was delayed by Indian political leaders who continually resisted the idea of an Adivasi self-governing territory. Another problem was that India’s economic liberalisation in the 1990s allowed wealthy mining companies to target the land upon which Adivasi livelihoods were built. Since 2006, Adivasi lands have become a warzone after the Indian state deployed thousands of troops to surround their forests. Beneath the land were rich minerals, which both the state and international corporations wanted to extract. Despite legal protections, the state army entered on the pretext that they were handling groups of banned left-wing armed guerrillas, Naxalites, who also lived in the forests. Shah, who researched the spread of the insurgency and counterinsurgency, shows in her book Nightmarch that the result was the widespread dispossession, arrest, and killing of innocent Adivasis. Jaipal Singh Munda’s work in the Constituent Assembly informs questions about Adivasi agency and autonomy today. In the ‘Jharkhand Vision 2050’ brochure, the Chief Minister states his aspiration to transform Jharkhand into a “high-value, upper-middle-income state” with an economy driven by “productivity and value creation”. During this transition, the founding principle of Adivasi sovereignty must remain a crucial aspect of political discussions going forward.  

Dr Regina Hansda, an Adivasi who is a Lecturer at the University of Edinburgh, says that the current moment marks a turning point for the interests of Adivasi sovereignty. She stresses the importance of protecting the jal (waters and rivers), jungle (forests), and zameen (land) against state and corporate interests: “Jaipal Singh Munda should be seen as a classic example of how indigeneity, coloniality and modernity can be navigated in a way that our identity and sense of self is not compromised.”

The story of Jaipal Singh Munda’s life and career stands as a testament to the value of widening educational access for Adivasis. An initiative by the Chief Minister in 2021 saw the creation of the Marang Gomke scholarship, intended to promote social equity. Each year, the scheme provides Master’s scholarships at leading UK universities for students from marginalised communities in Jharkhand.

Dr. Hansda points out that in the West, mainstream conversations about India rarely include Indigenous, tribal people. “Access to higher education is still a major issue for the Adivasi population and the Chief Minister’s visit reopens the possibility of students, including Oxford students, to study alongside Adivasi students in future to co-learn, co-imagine and co-create a hopeful future together.”

The very fact that Jaipal Singh Munda attended St John’s College should encourage greater historical curiosity. There are many more stories yet to be uncovered about those early pioneers who managed to break through and navigate Oxford’s rigid institutional system. While at the Blavatnik School, an Indian man in the audience related how his son had asked his Indian teacher where Jharkhand was, only to find that she was unable to answer. This instance reflects a broad lack of awareness even within India that makes curiosity about Adivasi lives all the more important to bring to the centre. These communities deserve attention, not only because ongoing injustices persist, but, as Jaipal Singh emphasised, there is so much to learn from their livelihoods – politically, socially, and culturally. Engaging with these different perspectives better equips us to understand the challenges faced by marginalised Indigenous communities all around the world. 

During his conversations with Lady Sue Black, the President of St John’s, the Chief Minister raised the possibility of a doctoral scholarship for an Adivasi student to be hosted at St John’s in the name of Jaipal Singh Munda to work on the social justice challenges that Jaipal Singh devoted his life to. A shared doctoral scholarship between St John’s College and the Jharkhand government would signal a joint commitment to opening Oxford to some of the most excluded communities, and to advancing scholarship on pressing injustices. Jaipal Singh Munda’s story should remind institutions like Oxford of the responsibility they have not only to preserve the histories of their alumni, but also to actively engage with the communities who continue to wrestle with their imperial past.

A matchweek with the OURFC Blues

Finbar Dinnen
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A matchweek with the OURFC Blues

6.57am, Monday morning 

Oxford is starting to wake up, a couple of cars and the occasional runner dotted about the roads. The sky is starting to lighten, but there’s no sign of the sun just yet. If you walked down to Iffley Road and peered round the corner of the Pavilion, you would see light quietly glowing from underneath the West Stand. If you walked down the gravel track and across the car park, you’d hear the beat of music and the rattling of barbells, and if you stepped inside you would find the Blues squad amidst their first gym session of the week. Second-year back-rower Henry ‘Hendo’ Henderson stands under a bending bar in front of the corner rack, braced for another heavy back squat, and the rest of the gym has paused to watch a massive 240 kilos move again. Sessions starting at 6.30am allow the group of busy students to train together around their schedules – but there’s another reason for such an early start beyond lessons and lectures. It means that the Blues must make a commitment to one another, to an early night and to getting up in the cold and the dark. It’ll count when the whistle goes. 

6.02pm, Monday night 

In the evening, it’s the Pavilion lights that are on. Chairs have been carried through from the dining room and are scattered around in front of the projector screen, and the tables are littered with an assortment of notebooks. There’s a hum of chatter as the squad catch up with each other after the day of Oxford life that has passed since they last trained. Players are still arriving from their colleges in ones and twos, filling the rows of furniture gathered ahead of the video review of last week’s game. Quiet falls when Head Coach Ian Kench connects his laptop and the Friday lights of the Iffley Road pitch appear on the screen, the Blues squad waiting on the breakdown of their latest performance – the messages to take into tonight’s training. Kench leads the review, but listening to the meeting you might hear the voice of any given player. You’d likely pick up the Australian accent of captain Jack Hamilton, or the experienced advice of ex-Saracens professional Josh Hallett – it’s a team of students, and the leaders within the squad will run the show just as much as their coaches. 

7.34pm

OURFC’s first Men*s pitch session of the week is wrapping up, and the Iffley field is a busy scene. Fullback Harry Bridgewater is striking another ball from the tee, splitting the posts, whilst hooker Will Roddy practices throwing into a lineout; he aims for a catcher in the stands to mirror the height of a player being lifted in a lineout. Players from all three teams sit around in the stands, getting boots off and layers on with muddied hands. Monday night is always a tough session for an OURFC team, being the furthest out from weekend matches – it means time being tackled onto crash mats in ‘the Dojo’ and close-quarters contact at the Jackdaw Lane end. The ‘Dojo’ is an area hidden behind the West Stand, set aside for contact, and does plenty to live up to its name. Most of the training is done outside of the pitch itself, making sure that it stays pristine under the floodlights on game night. With the Varsity matches on the horizon, there’s a real sense of anticipation, an eye on the test ahead in every session now. Amongst the Blues, the weight of history cannot be ignored, and the field at Iffley is testament to that feeling. One field, shared by the whole club, is set against the backdrop of the Pavilion on the hill, which has stood since 1893. 

7.15am, Wednesday morning

The University Parks are a pretty picture in the winter sunlight, with bare trees standing out against the morning sky and a layer of frost covering the fields. They’re mostly quiet, save for a few dog-walkers. At one end, however, the frost crunches under the feet of the OURFC Men*s section, out for their second field session of the week. With teams for the weekend taking shape, they can spend some time training as a unit, testing moves against one another and nailing down final details. This morning the ground is tough and slippery, so the boys need to move carefully – even the cold weather can’t throw off training. 

At the end of the session, the group forms one huddle, mixing in players from the Blues, Greyhounds, and Whippets. The Wednesday session will move to the evening when the squad returns in January, so this is the final morning outing for the season – and for some, their final morning outing as part of the club. Today these players are the ones that will lead the ‘beat clap’ that marks the end of training – a quick routine of synchronised taps and claps to complete the players’ review of the session. Two taps on the knees, two on the chest, two claps: done. The huddle breaks, and the rest of the day can start.

6.49pm, Wednesday night

The Blues are well into their second gym session of the week, and have ventured outside the gym into the dark of Scrum Corner, opposite the hockey astro and under the scoreboard. Launching a medicine ball at a teammate backwards, over your head, and in the dark might look odd in any other context, but at Iffley Road it’s just part of the programme. There’s rugby on the pitch tonight too, a home BUCS fixture for the Women’*s Blues. They play every Wednesday, and when at home the Men’s side will number amongst their supporters in the stands. When 7.15pm rolls around, they will line the tunnel as their counterparts run out, clapping and encouraging to add to the noise that lifts any team in Dark Blue. This will be the last day of heavy training for the Blues before Friday night’s game, with the focus now moving to making sure that everyone is ready for game day. 

6.05pm, Thursday evening

The Blues selected this week are back out on the pitch the night before the game, ready to walk through moves and bring absolute clarity onto the pitch tomorrow. There is a big emphasis on everyone knowing their role in every situation– no matter the time in the game or the area on the pitch. The theme this week has been to ‘get your house in order’; train and play knowing the job you have to do as an individual and work hard to get it right. At this stage, it would be easy for the mood to become quiet and serious, but the Team Run is perfect for taking the pressure off ahead of a game. Everyone wears an old jersey tonight, some from colleges, some international jerseys from previous years, many from clubs across the country that the Blues have represented at some point in their careers. Magdalen College captain Stu Brown is sporting the black and white stripes of his college as he boots a ball high into the sky, met by raucous cheers when it lands; Team Run also features light-hearted games between the forwards and the backs. They take the pressure away from the team on the eve of the game, but at the same time a score is very much kept – it’s a squad that loves to compete. 

7.15pm, Friday night

Matchday. Iffley Road is packed with spectators, filling the stands and lining the pitch – this year has seen record attendance for the Blues. The prestige of Premiership opposition and ex-international Blues draws students and locals alike to nights like these. The pitch is ringed by food trucks and fans who turn out for the occasion, ready to come alive when those famous jerseys have taken the field. Tonight is the first game back at home for the Blues since before December, and a chance to show off how far the team has come. They return home following a historic tour of Australia where they tested themselves against professional side Brumbies, the Australian national 7s side, and Shute Shield opposition Sydney University. Their ranks are boosted by the addition of Reed Prinsep, adding all the power and experience of a decade in Super Rugby and ten international caps as a Māori All Black. 15 dark blue jerseys wait in the tunnel, ready to emerge into the noise and the light for 80 thrilling minutes.

If you walked down and peered around the corner of the pavilion on a Friday night like this one, it would be a very different picture to the faint glow of that Monday morning gym session. The atmosphere, the buzz of the crowd, the announcer on the microphone and the smell of food, all in anticipation of that moment when Jack Hamilton leads his team out. The work of this week and countless more like it comes together now, and adds today’s page to the long, illustrious history of the club.

The Varsity Matches take place on 28th February at the StoneX stadium.

Oxford University faces backlash over use of gagging order in sexual harassment case

Gaspard Rouffin
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Oxford University faces backlash over use of gagging order in sexual harassment case

The University of Oxford has recently dropped its request for anonymity in an employment tribunal over a sexual harassment case. The University had been granted an anonymity order which prevented the media from reporting on the case to protect the University’s reputation and the identity of several of its employees.

The order related to allegations of sexual harassment made by a female academic against Professor Soumittra Dutta, the former Dean of the Saïd Business School. It was reported that, after the academic went to Dutta for help regarding a rape complaint, Dutta propositioned her. He allegedly said: “I feel very attracted to you. Can something happen between us?” Dutta denied making the comment.

Dutta resigned in August following a five-month investigation by the University, which upheld three allegations that he sexually harassed a female academic. The University of Oxford stated that Dutta “stepped down as dean of Saïd Business School and has now left the University”.

Anonymity orders prohibit the discussion or publication of the identity of individuals or organisations involved in legal proceedings. The University was also subject to significant criticism from media organisations over the order, which had been considered a “gross breach of the principles of open justice” and part of a “deeply concerning trend towards secrecy”.

This follows a series of cases where the University has failed to protect its staff and students following allegations of sexual harassment and sexual assault. A recent UCU report seen by Cherwell described the University as “slow to act and reluctant to be transparent, particularly when allegations involve prominent men with institutional prestige or donor connections”, and regretted that investigations often kept “outcomes confidential, allowing individuals to move on with unblemished reputations”.

An Oxford academic, who prefers to remain anonymous, told Cherwell: “That the University applied for an anonymity order that protected its own reputation and that of at least one senior academic who had been found guilty of sexual harassment is incredibly concerning. That it did so against the wishes of the claimant is even worse because it amounts to gagging the victim, and the Higher Education Bill forbids imposing silence on victims of sexual harassment.”

The University of Oxford did not respond to Cherwell’s request for comment.

Criticism of University leadership

The University previously faced internal pressures from academics and students over its use of anonymity orders and restricted reporting orders in legal cases. The University’s leadership was criticised for acting against principles of freedom of speech and academic freedom.

An academic told Cherwell: “Congregation should have a public debate about what our policy ought to be regarding applying for anonymity orders. The University shouldn’t be allowed to have blanket permission to hide under [a] veil of anonymity. It means that Congregation, which is supposed to be the sovereign body of the university, can’t know who we are suing, who is suing us, why, how much money we are spending in lawsuits, and how [we are] behaving in court, what is being done in our name.”

Congregation is the governing body of the University, composed primarily of academic staff. There have been concerns raised regarding senior University figures’ approach to transparency in the context of legal proceedings, in particular Chancellor William Hague and Vice-Chancellor Professor Irene Tracey. 

A source with knowledge of the matter previously told Cherwell: “The Chancellor and the Vice-Chancellor have serious questions to answer about the type of university they are running, whether it is one that protects its own students and staff, or its reputation.”

Improvements to policies

Cherwell understands that Tracey has instructed a legal panel to improve its harassment and bullying procedures. In a meeting in February, the Registrar of the University, Professor Gill Aitken, and legal experts were asked to make recommendations on improving data sharing and procedures regarding bullying and harassment.

An academic told Cherwell: “It’s also obvious that we need to improve our policies around sexual harassment. That the University is still protecting an emeritus professor who has been accused of rape without him facing any internal investigation, or ban from premises, or stripping of his title shows how deeply we are failing to keep students and staff safe.

“The reputation of powerful senior academics is still being prioritised over the safety of staff and students. What the University should do is take this opportunity to reform and be at the forefront of best practices instead of holding on to opaque and sexist practices that are causing serious and unnecessary harm to people, especially women.”

Cherwell has previously reported that the University did not suspend an emeritus professor at the Saïd Business School who was investigated for rape by Thames Valley Police. Cherwell understands that the professor does not currently face any restrictions regarding access to central University premises or to his college, something students have expressed “serious concerns” about. 

Anna Bull, the founder of the 1752 Group, an advocacy group addressing sexual misconduct in higher education, said that she “very much doubt[s] that Oxford consulting existing staff on improvements is likely to lead to sufficient change. Business as usual isn’t going to lead to the shifts that are needed here”.

Correction: An earlier version of this article stated that the University had failed its legal duties to protect staff and students following allegations of sexual assault. The University has not been found to have failed any such duties.

Oxford Union cancels Namal Rajapaksa event after backlash

Mercedes Haas
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Oxford Union cancels Namal Rajapaksa event after backlash

The Oxford Union has cancelled a planned speaking event with Sri Lankan MP Namal Rajapaksa following backlash from Tamil student groups and campaigners. The Cambridge Union cancelled Rajapaksa’s scheduled visit several days ago. 

Rajapaksa, the son of former Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, is a controversial figure due to his close association with a government accused by human rights organisations of overseeing alleged war crimes and widespread abuses during the final stages of Sri Lanka’s civil war. 

Rajapaksa had been scheduled to address the Oxford Union on 23rd February, with a corresponding event in Cambridge. The cancellations come after criticism from Tamil societies at multiple UK universities. 

In statements circulated on Instagram, Tamil student groups said that to host Rajapaksa was to ignore “the deliberate bombing of civilian ‘No-Fire Zones’ and hospitals”, “the systemic sexual violence used as a weapon of war”, and “the enforced disappearances of tens of thousands”. They also cited “the ongoing militarised occupation of Tamil lands and the erasure of our cultural memory”. 

The allegations refer to the final stages of Sri Lanka’s 26-year civil war, which ended in 2009 with the military defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), when government forces under the presidency of Mahinda Rajapaksa were accused by the UN and international rights groups of committing serious violations against civilians in regions in the country where Tamils primarily reside.  

Tamils are a predominantly Hindu ethnic minority in Sri Lanka, who were at the centre of the conflict. Tamil advocacy groups continue to campaign internationally for accountability over alleged wartime abuses. 

Rajapaksa, the son of former Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, was described by campaigners as “a staunch defender of this genocidal apparatus”. The statement from the Tamil Youth Organisation UK (TYOUK) claimed that inviting him “grants legitimacy to a regime that has consistently denied justice and accountability” and “sends a devastating message to Tamil survivors and victims’ families”. TYOUK had also been planning a protest against the event prior to its cancellation. Oxford Action for Palestine (OA4P) called for a protest on the same issue.

In a statement confirming the cancellation, the Oxford Union President Katherine Yang told Cherwell: “A core part of the Union’s purpose is enabling direct, open questioning from students. In this case, a significant number of the students most closely connected to the subject matter communicated that they did not feel safe asking questions openly. While alternative formats (such as submitting questions indirectly) were considered, … I felt that the inability of those most affected to participate directly undermined the substance of the forum.

“An event where key stakeholders cannot engage on equal footing does not produce the kind of robust debate the Union is intended to facilitate.”

In a statement issued by its Communications Representative, the Cambridge Union confirmed that it had cancelled the event after “urgent and serious discussions”. A spokesperson told Cherwell: “At the present moment, we don’t believe it’s possible to have a balanced and open discussion on this subject, and thus our Standing Committee made the decision to cancel this event.

“We would like to assert in the strongest possible terms that none of our events are endorsements of, or uncritical platforms for, any speaker or their beliefs, actions, or record.”

This is not the first time the Oxford Union has withdrawn an invitation to a member of the Rajapaksa family. In 2010, the Union sparked major controversy by cancelling an invitation to then-Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the last minute, after his arrival in the UK and amid anticipated protests from British Tamil activists. 

Coverage at the time noted that the Union cited security concerns and the “sheer scale of the expected protests” in withdrawing the event. This drew critical reactions from Sri Lankan officials and students. The Oxford Sri Lankan Society denounced the Union’s decision as “highly unbecoming”, arguing it had agreed to detailed arrangements. Sri Lankan ministers condemned the move as a “scar on the Oxford Union and the British government”, and demonstrations took place in Colombo in response. 

Prior to that a controversy arose in 2008 ahead of a scheduled appearance by Mahinda Rajapaksa, when students and campaigners urged the Union to scrutinise his human rights records. Critics at the time pointed to reports from the US State Department, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch alleging violations by state officials and paramilitary groups allied with his administration.

Loaf actually? A guide to Oxford’s sourdough

Skye-Jane Ingram
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Loaf actually? A guide to Oxford’s sourdough

Sourdough is a simple pleasure. A perfect loaf should have a chewy, light, tangy, and springy crumb. It’s best enjoyed toasted, with a thick layer of jam, a generous slab of butter, or simply as a base for a sandwich. It reminds me of home, where my family always keeps a loaf in the cupboard. On cold days it’s a reliable and simple comfort – the kind that makes Hilary term feel a little less bleak. Here is the definitive ranking for next time you require some carbs to help you meet your essay deadline. For this ranking, assume a white or wholemeal loaf unless otherwise stated. 

8. Tesco 

Tesco’s sourdough is exactly what you’d imagine. Promisingly, their white loaves have a slightly golden crust. However, the loaf itself is disappointing and lacks the distinctive tangy taste of a good sourdough. The small amount of bubbles suggest that the dough would benefit from further fermentation. However, for just £2.10, you get what you pay for.  

7. Sainsburys 

Sainsbury’s sourdough loaf is broadly comparable to Tesco’s. Both loaves also usually become hard within a day or two. On the other hand, loaves that are slow-fermented do not go stale as quickly as the natural acids produced help the bread to maintain moisture. I ranked Sainsbury’s above Tesco for two principal reasons: it offers a wider variety of loaves and also sells a sourdough baguette, which is of notable quality. 

6. Jericho Cheese Company

This bread is good. It has a delicious crunch, and there are two locations to get your bread fix: Turl Street and Little Clarendon. However, due to its prohibitive price, it ranks sixth: a standard loaf will set you back £6.75. If I were to eat this bread regularly, I would be left unable to pay my battels. So, enjoy this one sparingly. 

5. M&S

In my view, their ‘Signature Sourdough’ is the best loaf currently offered in a supermarket. With its lovely crust and substantial size, there is also the added bonus that they offer to cut the loaf for you in store. The crumb itself has a slightly savoury taste that would combine excellently with olives or cheese. These loaves also last quite a long time if stored well. A solid loaf, certainly, but far from the best best M&S has to offer. 

4. Ole and Steen

Ole and Steen offers Danish bread and is the only non-English feature on this list. They have a few different options. My favourite is the Copenhagen sourdough which is crispy on the outside. However, they also offer an excellent Rye loaf and a selection of rolls. If that wasn’t enough, they also offer great deals: if you use the app, there is usually an offer of the week, which allows you to buy a loaf for up to 50% off. 

3. Barefoot, Jericho

Barefoot has excellent surroundings and multiple locations. If you visit the branch on North Parade Avenue, you can see the bakers at work making the next day’s loaves (as well as delicious cakes and pastries). The bread itself is soft, with a noticeable fermented taste. The only drawback is its density, though the designs on the loaves are some of the most creative I’ve seen, with their signature B the most common. Watch out for the pumpkin-inspired loaves during Halloween! 

2. Gails 

The crumb is much lighter than many other loaves on the list, hence why I’ve awarded Gails second place. 

Gails’ signature loaf has a soft, off-white crumb generously aerated with bubbles. Loaves are replaced daily and you can choose your preferred loaf and have it uniformly sliced –– a small but significant convenience for Oxford students, who often lack a kitchen or a reliable knife. I would particularly recommend their seeded loaf, which has a distinctive sesame flavour, and is unlike any other loaf I have tried. This bread has a satisfying bite on the outside, and internally is both moreish and satisfying. 

1. Hamblin, Covered Market

I had heard great things about Hamblin, and their signature ‘country loaf’ did not disappoint. I was initially sceptical of the dark – frankly rather burnt – looking crust. However, once I tasted it, I quickly realised I’d been missing out on the delights of this bread for nearly half of my degree. With generous helpings of jam, this is hard to beat. If you can’t make it to their store in The Covered Market, there are also a few shops around Oxford that stock Hamblin loaves. If you don’t fancy committing to a whole loaf, 2 North Parade offers half for only £2.50. I would urge anyone who is curious about sourdough to try this loaf. 

So, perhaps you disagree with my ranking. Be my guest – sourdough, like most comforts, can be deeply personal. I have yet to actually make a loaf of sourdough myself, but I do know that this ranking proves that Oxford is blessed with exceptionally good bread. Though my purse is significantly lighter, and, like the dough, my standards have risen, I’d argue that it has been a worthwhile investment: now I can claim (tentatively) to have found the best sourdough in Oxford.  

Quarter of students at London state school receive Oxbridge offers

Lily Gage
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Quarter of students at London state school receive Oxbridge offers

A state sixth form in north-east London has seen 62 of its students receive offers from Oxford and Cambridge universities this academic year, making up one quarter of its student body.

The London Academy of Excellence (LAE) is a free, mixed, selective sixth form and is one of the highest performing sixth forms in the United Kingdom. The headteacher, Alexander Crossman, says on the academy’s website that the school “consistently delivers outstanding A-level results for all students”. He adds that the sixth form “has achieved particular success helping students from less-advantaged backgrounds win places at the best universities in the UK and around the world”.

Around half of the students with Oxbridge offers for this academic year come from disadvantaged backgrounds, including several with refugee status. Around half are eligible for free school meals, in the care of a local authority, or are young carers, and over two thirds come from low-income homes with no history of university attendance in their immediate family. 

One student, Ismael, told the BBC that reading the email which offered him a place at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, for politics, philosophy, and economics was “a very, very surreal experience”.

Another student, Kami, who was offered a place at Selwyn College, Cambridge, also said: “People aren’t defined by their background or any circumstances that they’ve come from.. I think it’s allowing people to flourish and truly reach their full potential.”

Twenty-five students from LAE’s 2024 cohort took up places at Oxford and Cambridge, which is 60% lower than the number for this academic year.

LAE was ranked sixth by The Times in the top 50 sixth form colleges in the UK, based on exam outcomes from last year. A majority of the other sixth forms in this ranking are private, fee-paying schools. That year, 58.3% of LAE students received an A*, A, or B in two or more subjects.

The sixth form was founded in 2012, with the support of private schools such as Eton and Brighton College, which make annual donations. The two other partner schools are Caterham School and Forest School. Each LAE house is associated with one of these partner schools, and students visit their house’s school to make connections with their counterparts there. These partner schools also provide teaching, and many students play sports fixtures against them. 

Pupils from low-income households are prioritised for acceptance, with the majority of students from Newham, Tower Hamlets, and Hackney. In order to obtain a place, students must demonstrate that they are on target to achieve at least eight grades of 7 to 9 at GCSE, including Maths and English.

The school is located in Newham, which is the most deprived borough in London, according to data from the 2025 Indices of Multiple Deprivation (IMD). Over 80% of residents were in the bottom 30% for income deprivation – a substantial increase from 66% in 2019. Unemployment rates are at 8.7%, and child poverty is at 45%, behind only Tower Hamlets. 

Though 93% of the UK population attended state schools, only 66% of UK students admitted to Oxford in 2024 were educated in the state sector.

Art is an argument, so argue back

Maxim Vorobev
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Art is an argument, so argue back

Oxford supposedly trains critical thinking skills. After all, what’s the point of our degrees if we can’t think? Yet all too often, this part of our mind switches off the moment people look at art. Unleqss you are an art historian or an artist yourself (neither of which I am) there is often a fear of critiquing art. After all, I lack an encyclopaedic knowledge of art movements, I do not exhibit work, nor do I (much to the annoyance of my Cherwell bosses) write much about art. It is easy to fall into the trap, especially when visiting a gallery abroad, of letting it wash over you, walking from room to room and just looking and moving on. Perhaps you’ll read the occasional exhibition label, but that’s as far as it goes. 

All too often, how much we like artwork comes down to ‘vibes’, initial gut-reactions we make, and then quickly negate by stating that surely it’s all about taste. The primacy of subjectivity is common in contemporary expression. It is often at the centre of debates online sparked when modern and contemporary art are presented with their seemingly absurd prices, alongside commentary from various political accounts on its justification. Yet this reflexive reliance on taste all too often closes down reasonable critiques of art. 

The fact that art challenges uncomfortable realities or assumptions does not mean it should not exist. Frequently, art that is difficult to understand is lampooned from the perspective that only precise artistic expression is permitted – this is not what I wish to argue. The fact of taste and its subjectivity should not make you scared to critique art. Don’t let your supposed lack of qualifications limit your ability to talk about what is being argued in front of you. Yes, argued. Art makes a barrage of criticisms about society and the way in which we live our lives. It must not become a lecture, so return fire.

This is most commonly found in critiques of the claims of historical art. Every tour or discussion of a work will always point out historical inconsistencies, propagandist efforts, or the financial interests at play, particularly with works such with the famous Napoleon Crossing the Alps (1801). Yet, outside of obvious examples, art is often simply accepted. Our earlier default approach to art – gliding through rooms looking for something that catches the eye, or for a famous piece, and quickly moving on to the next one – keeps us outside of the actual art and the discussion it brings forth. 

The little placards, or website descriptions, are not simply explaining the artwork, they are making claims about it. Artists are just like any other producer of work – they are not immune to waffle, flaws in execution, or deception. Artists can lie – don’t trust them. Or, at the very least, they can deliver less than claimed.

Take, for example, Sara Sallam’s recently exhibited work in the Pitt Rivers: Suturing Wounds. Her artwork takes facsimiles of late antique Egyptian burial textile fragments, stitches them together (“suturing” the wound of their separation from their burials) into a tunic that is then worn by Sallam outside the V&A Museum storage where the original cloths are contained. She is photographed wearing them in an act of “embodied protest”. 

These are the basic premises of her work. Yet, these claims should not be so readily accepted. To protest their use as a merely visual item, does stitching facsimiles of them together (irrespective of their unique and highly personal nature) into one photographable outfit actually liberate them? I would argue it merely places them back in the visual space. Is photographing them outside a storage site truly a protest? The blank space on the tunic seemingly emphasises her performance, rather than the imprisoned artefacts. Frankly, I don’t believe that her claims were well executed in the artwork produced. 

Certainly, to the stereotypical British politeness, critiquing art is difficult when the feelings of the artists are so entwined with the work. Much of contemporary art is not designed simply in relation to society, but as a broader expression of the artist’s life and emotion. Emotional vulnerability is fundamental to the creation of powerful art. However, emotional vulnerability requires actual vulnerability, and that means actual challenges to what is expressed, rather than the mere praise of vulnerability.

Next time you visit an exhibition, or visit a gallery, don’t just glide past it. Certainly art is highly dependent on taste, but that does not mean your taste should be kept quiet. Often you, and perhaps the artist, would benefit from some truly critical perspectives. 

County Council raises council tax to 4.99%, citing decreased government funding

Daniela Braw-Smith and Ruby Barenberg
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County Council raises council tax to 4.99%, citing decreased government funding

The Oxfordshire County Council’s new budget includes increasing council tax by 4.99%, addressing a £5.4 million shortfall for 2026/27.

By 2028/29, funding to Oxford will decrease by £24.1 million as the government plans to redistribute funding to more deprived areas of the country.

The 2026/7 budget was approved on 10 February and allocates a total of £700 million. The budget includes reductions to an East Oxford development plan and some transportation services for “adult social care, children’s services and home to school transport”. 

The proposition for the building of a new mortuary has been pushed back and a local school and leisure facility scheme has also faced a funding decrease. The budget also included funding for road developments, improvements to Wantage Market Place, flood prevention, and libraries.

Pointing to investments in highways, drainage, and libraries, County Councillor Liz Leffman stated: “We have not only been able to balance the budget for 2026/2027 but have included investments that will make a difference to the things which are of greatest importance to our residents.”

A crucial part of the budget is the increased council tax. Oxfordshire also faced a 4.99% council tax increase in 2025/6.

County Councillor Dan Levy told Cherwell: “Obviously we would rather not put up Council Tax, but there isn’t any choice, given the increasing pressures on budgets, including from increases imposed by central government via National Insurance increases, and decreasing support from central government. All the other parties at County Hall proposed the full Council Tax increase allowable, like us.”

Students are not subject to council taxes, but the changes will likely exacerbate the already expensive private rental market. Oxford has been ranked as one of the least affordable cities in the UK, with average private rents growing from £1,657 to £1,913 between December 2023 and December 2025, representing a 15.4% increase. In November, students queued for more than 48 hours to attempt to secure housing through property agency Finders Keepers for the next academic year.

The newly formed Oxford Renters Union has declared themselves open to students renting privately, as the collective believes they “face the same problems as working people concerning the cost, quality and stability of housing”. The union will not try to tackle issues with college- and University-owned accommodation at this time, citing their desire to prioritise problems affecting the majority of Oxford renters.

A spokesperson for the union told Cherwell: “We at the Oxford Renters Union believe it’s deeply unjust that renters pay higher council tax based on the higher valuation of the property they happen to be living in. Landlords of HMOs [house in multiple occupation] often push high council tax payments onto renters – and where renters pay council tax directly, that’s just one more favour they do for their landlord.”

The Renters’ Rights Bill, passed into law last October, also seeks to provide some protections for renters. Coming into effect in May, the law will forbid landlords from increasing rent more than once a year and without at least two months’ notice. However, the new law does not set any limits on rent increases.

Red soles, red flags: Jaden Smith and the celebrity takeover of high fashion

Victoria Corfield
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Red soles, red flags: Jaden Smith and the celebrity takeover of high fashion

“Red is the main character of the stories that we tell.” This is how the first ever Men’s Creative Director for Christian Louboutin, Jaden Smith, describes his debut collection. Emerging red-faced (he literally painted his face and torso red) onto the catwalk at Paris Fashion Week, Smith’s debut collection has been controversial to say the least. His appointment to the position in September 2025 caused waves in the fashion community for several reasons. To begin with, it’s the first time that Maison Christian Louboutin has ever had a Creative Director. Moreover, this role was bestowed to someone best known for starring inThe Karate Kid and being the son of the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. It’s only natural that Smith’s appointment would raise some serious questions about the extent to which nepotism and celebrity is superseding artistic talent in the fashion industry at present.

To simply discredit Smith on the basis of being a ‘nepo-baby’ is unproductive. After all, the fashion industry is one that has long been deemed dynasty-driven, with many of the most famous houses starting as family businesses and being passed down from fathers to sons, such as Hermès or Gucci. Nonetheless, in the last five years there has been a wave of high-profile and celebrity-adjacent, non-traditional appointments to creative director roles in fashion. Whilst celebrity endorsements have long been common in fashion, what we are seeing now is different: this is not simply the role of a brand ambassador, rather Smith is a celebrity being granted sole creative direction of a brand. One of the first, and perhaps the most significant example of this was Pharrell Williams’ appointment as the Men’s Creative Director of Louis Vuitton in February 2023, with a stated goal to bridge the gap between luxury fashion, music, and pop culture. While Williams had been involved in the fashion world since the early 2000s, founding his streetwear brand Billionaire Boys Club in 2003, and later a subsidiary line named ICECREAM in 2004, he notably lacks any formal design training.

Many would argue that this kind of formal education is no longer a requirement for creative direction – you can’t be taught to have creative vision, so to speak, and streetwear designers frequently have less formal fashion education than traditional luxury designers, falling back on self-taught skills and hands-on experience. But while creativity certainly doesn’t require a diploma, skill, or at the very least a basic knowledge of working with textiles, is essential to understanding craftsmanship in fashion. This is attested by the prevalence of the apprenticeship as a popular form of education in fashion. Consider Alexander McQueen and the emphasis the brand still places on quality tailoring, honouring the late designer’s start as a tailor’s apprentice on Savile Row. While Jaden Smith does have previous experience in creative industries, ranging from collaborations with established brands, to his streetwear label MSFTSrep, his debut collection exposes his lack of hands-on experience and limited traditional design training.

His debut collection for Christian Louboutin, unveiled during Paris Fashion Week 2026, was met with mixed reactions. Louboutin contends that Smith’s appointment was driven by a desire to inject a modern vision into the brand’s men’s line. Hence Smith, a multifaceted artist with previous experience in streetwear, seemed like just the person to embody this new brand direction. However, rather than modern, his designs ranged from uninspired (I would hardly call a red leather sneaker the height of innovation) to frankly ridiculous, prompting a stream of memes expressing concern that Smith skinned beloved Sesame Street character Elmo for a pair of £2,300 boots covered in vibrant red goat hair. 

Another personal highlight of the collection was the harness-inspired bag, which looked less high-fashion and more like the result of a bizarre collaboration between Go Outdoors and Ann Summers, producing practical hiking attire for the BDSM enthusiasts among us. This is not to say that avant-garde design hasn’t been subject to ridicule throughout history – if you’re going to push the boundaries of any medium it is bound to be met with some resistance. But where Smith’s ‘Well Red’ vision truly falls flat is that this ‘boldness’ feels hollow and superficial. The only thing that feels truly luxurious about the collection is the price tag.

Once the internet trolls have had their fun, we are left with the glaring realisation: a 27-year-old with limited experience can’t handle the mammoth task of crafting collections across everything from Louboutin’s iconic red-soled footwear, to leather goods and accessories. While fashion has never been a field fuelled by meritocracy, perhaps it’s time that we stepped away from the pattern of blindly granting celebrities creative direction. It’s about time we started spotlighting creatives with actual experience and expertise in the field. Appointments like Smith’s perpetuate the notion of fashion as a meaningless and shallow art form, one simply exploited for status and lacking any real artistic substance. If we are to save the status of fashion we need to shift the emphasis back toward the garments at the heart of this medium, not the creative directors.

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