LONDON: The University of Oxford announced on Wednesday that 38 candidates are competing to become its next chancellor, but Pakistan’s jailed former prime minister Imran Khan is not among them, despite claims from his party that he had submitted an application.
The candidates are vying to succeed former Hong Kong governor Chris Patten, who stepped down in June after serving for 21 years. The ceremonial position has been continuously held since 1224.
Notable contenders include former Conservative Party leader and foreign secretary William Hague, former Labour Party EU trade commissioner Peter Mandelson, and former attorney general Dominic Grieve.
Scottish lawyer Elish Angiolini aims to become the first woman to hold the chancellor position in 800 years. She previously led a high-profile inquiry into the murder of marketing executive Sarah Everard by a London police officer in 2021. Angiolini is currently the principal of St Hugh’s College, Oxford, whose alumni include former UK prime minister Theresa May and Myanmar democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Another Oxford principal, Jan Royall of Somerville College, is also a candidate. She previously served as an adviser to former Labour leader Neil Kinnock and was a leader of the House of Lords.
In August, a London-based spokesman for Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party stated that the former prime minister had “given instructions that he would like to submit his application.”
Khan, who served as prime minister from 2018 to 2022, has been in prison for over a year on various charges, including corruption and inciting violence. He asserts these allegations are politically motivated and intended to prevent him from returning to power.
Khan graduated from Oxford in 1975, where he studied philosophy, politics, and economics, before going on to captain Pakistan in cricket and later entering politics.
The university noted that applications were evaluated based on its “four exclusion criteria,” which disqualify individuals deemed not to be a “fit and proper person” by the UK tax authority.
After two rounds of voting, the new chancellor will be announced in the week of November 25. The chancellor serves as the titular head of the university, presiding over key ceremonies and engaging in advocacy, advisory, and fundraising activities. The incoming chancellor will hold the position for a fixed term of no more than 10 years, following a recent amendment to the university’s rules.
