Cabinet Minister Pays Damages to Academic She Accused of Hamas Sympathy

Minister for Higher and Further Education, Michelle Donelan addresses delegates during the Conservative Party Spring Conference, at Blackpool Winter Gardens in Blackpool, north-west England, on March 18, 2022. (Paul Ellis/AFP via Getty Images)

Science Secretary Michelle Donelan has paid damages to a university professor after saying she had suggested she “shared extremist views” and sympathised with the Hamas terrorist group.

The undisclosed sum to Kate San, after Ms. Donelan retracted her comments, was covered by taxpayers.

The Cabinet minister has since faced criticism by Labour and Liberal Democrat ministers and calls to resign.

The University and College Union (UCU) general secretary Jo Grady said Ms. Donelan used taxpayers’ money to settle a libel claim and failed to apologise to “the individuals she falsely accused and attacked.”

The minister’s position is “untenable,” and she “must resign,” Ms. Grady added.

Shadow science secretary Peter Kyle questioned the confidence of the research community in Ms. Donelan, while Lib Dem deputy leader Daisy Cooper said that using taxpayers’ money to cover legal costs was “nothing short of a national scandal.”

The wave of criticism comes following the resolution of the investigation of Ms. San and another academic, Kamna Patel, by the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).

Last October, Ms. Donelan wrote to the UKRI, suggesting that the two academics expressed sympathy with the Hamas terrorist organisation, following the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel.

She referred to the tweet by Ms. Sang linking to an article by the Guardian on the UK response to the Hamas attacks and saying, “this is disturbing.”

The other investigated academic, Ms. Patel had retweeted a post describing the action of Israel as “genocide and apartheid.”

Both were subsequently investigated by the UKRI to discern whether their actions breached the conditions of their appointments.

The UKRI board found no evidence of a breach or support for Hamas by the academics.

“Our intention, as soon as these concerns were raised by the Secretary of State, was to adopt a well-governed process to support evidenced, principled decisions,” the UKRI said in a statement.

Ms. Donelan said that it was made clear to her that Ms. Sang’s comment referred to the “entire Guardian article” as opposed to “just the headline” quoted in the tweet.

The minister withdrew her “original concerns,” adding that she “never thought or claimed that Professor Sang, or any member of the board, committed a criminal offence.”

Distress

While Ms. Sang said she was “delighted” with the resolution of the matter, she added that she was “very disturbed” by the conduct of Michelle Donelan and the UKRI.

“Had they asked me at the start, I would have explained the true position. Instead, Michelle Donelan made a cheap political point at my expense and caused serious damage to my reputation. I propose to donate part of the damages she has paid to a charity,” said the academic.

Similarly, Ms. Patel found the experience “distressing,” saying that “worryingly” the UKRI was apparently “steered by who made the claim and not its substance.”

Law firm Bindmans, representing the academics, said that the UKRI’s investigation “was marked by unfairness” and caused “a great deal of unnecessary reputational damage and personal distress” to their clients.

The firm suggested that a misleading press release by the Policy Exchange think tank served as the base for Ms. Donelan’s allegations. It included just the headline of the article, posted by Ms. Sang, and didn’t include the link to the publication.

“It is extraordinary that a minister should be guided by a lobby group into making serious false allegations about private citizens without doing the first piece of due diligence,” said Tamsin Allen, who represented Ms. Sang in her libel complaint.

Despite the criticism by lawmakers and the UCU, the PA news agency has reported that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak retains “full confidence” in “excellent minister” Ms. Donelan.

PA contributed to this report.