Thursday, March 07, 2024
Picking up the bill
Here we go again! The Guardian reports that UK taxpayers have financed a £15,000 payout to an academic after the science minister wrongly accused her of supporting Hamas.
The paper says that the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology have admitted that the money had been paid after a statement on Tuesday by Michelle Donelan, about a “clarification” from Prof Kate Sang, of Heriot-Watt university in Edinburgh, about her views:
This money came from public funds, a DSIT spokesperson said, adding: “There is an established precedent under multiple administrations that ministers are provided with legal support and representation where matters relate to their conduct and responsibilities as a minister, as was the case here.
“The secretary of state received the appropriate advice from relevant officials at all times.
“A sum of £15,000 was paid without admitting any liability. This approach is intended to reduce the overall costs to the taxpayer that could result from protracted legal action, no matter what the result would have been.”
Michelle Donelan arrives in Downing Street, 19 February 2024: she is going through gateway with black ironwork, and is dressed all in black and smiling; she has long, loose dark hair UK science minister apologises and pays damages after academic’s libel action
It is understood that the payment was the only one made, with no extra contribution for Sang’s legal costs. DSIT declined to say how much Donelan’s own legal costs were. On Tuesday, the department had refused to say how much had been paid to Sang, saying only that it was a “nominal” sum.
The paper says that the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology have admitted that the money had been paid after a statement on Tuesday by Michelle Donelan, about a “clarification” from Prof Kate Sang, of Heriot-Watt university in Edinburgh, about her views:
This money came from public funds, a DSIT spokesperson said, adding: “There is an established precedent under multiple administrations that ministers are provided with legal support and representation where matters relate to their conduct and responsibilities as a minister, as was the case here.
“The secretary of state received the appropriate advice from relevant officials at all times.
“A sum of £15,000 was paid without admitting any liability. This approach is intended to reduce the overall costs to the taxpayer that could result from protracted legal action, no matter what the result would have been.”
Michelle Donelan arrives in Downing Street, 19 February 2024: she is going through gateway with black ironwork, and is dressed all in black and smiling; she has long, loose dark hair UK science minister apologises and pays damages after academic’s libel action
It is understood that the payment was the only one made, with no extra contribution for Sang’s legal costs. DSIT declined to say how much Donelan’s own legal costs were. On Tuesday, the department had refused to say how much had been paid to Sang, saying only that it was a “nominal” sum.
However, opposition parties and some Conservative MPs have expressed alarm that Donelan has been supported in this way, with one Tory backbencher saying it was “astonishing she still has a job”.
Sang launched a libel action against Donelan after the minister published a letter to the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) in October that urged it to cut links with Sang and another academic, Dr Kamna Patel of University College London. Donelan had described her “disgust and outrage” at their appointment to an expert advisory group to Research England on equality, diversity and inclusion.
The institute suspended Sang and Patel while it carried out an investigation into Donelan’s allegations. These included that both academics had shared extremist content, and that Sang expressed sympathy for Hamas.
Her evidence included Sang retweeting a Guardian article from last October headlined “Suella Braverman urges police to crack down on Hamas support in UK”, to which Sang added the comment: “This is disturbing.”
In her statement, Donelan said she had been mistaken in taking this to mean support for Hamas, and that Sang’s comment had been about the article more widely.
UKRI announced that its investigation found no evidence to back Donelan’s complaints against the academics, or any grounds to remove them from the advisory group.
It was bad enough that taxpayers had to pay Boris Johnson's legal bills. Isn't it time that Ministers started to take responsibility for their own actions and pay up when they get it wrong?
Sang launched a libel action against Donelan after the minister published a letter to the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) in October that urged it to cut links with Sang and another academic, Dr Kamna Patel of University College London. Donelan had described her “disgust and outrage” at their appointment to an expert advisory group to Research England on equality, diversity and inclusion.
The institute suspended Sang and Patel while it carried out an investigation into Donelan’s allegations. These included that both academics had shared extremist content, and that Sang expressed sympathy for Hamas.
Her evidence included Sang retweeting a Guardian article from last October headlined “Suella Braverman urges police to crack down on Hamas support in UK”, to which Sang added the comment: “This is disturbing.”
In her statement, Donelan said she had been mistaken in taking this to mean support for Hamas, and that Sang’s comment had been about the article more widely.
UKRI announced that its investigation found no evidence to back Donelan’s complaints against the academics, or any grounds to remove them from the advisory group.
It was bad enough that taxpayers had to pay Boris Johnson's legal bills. Isn't it time that Ministers started to take responsibility for their own actions and pay up when they get it wrong?
