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MPs urge action over ‘woeful lack of transparency’ in universities

Politicians call for an end to secret donations, following an investigation by openDemocracy

By Jenna Corderoy
MPs urge action over ‘woeful lack of transparency’ in universities
The University of Oxford went to tribunal in a bid to keep a major donor's identity secret. | Oli Scarff / Staff / Getty
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Two senior MPs have called for more transparency over university funding, after openDemocracy revealed the extraordinary influence of secret donors within higher education in the UK.

In a joint letter sent to the education secretary, Labour MP Margaret Hodge and the former Conservative minister Robert Buckland warned that universities “cannot become tainted by anonymous money extracted from potentially corrupt sources”.

Last year, openDemocracy found that more than £281m in anonymous donations have poured into so-called ‘Russell Group’ universities since 2017.

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