Clegg wades into Oxford race row

Tuesday, 12 April 2011 12:00 AM

By Hannah Brenton

The prime minister is "absolutely right" in his race row with Oxford University, Nick Clegg has said.

David Cameron yesterday described the university as 'disgraceful' for admitting just one black student last year, a figure the university instantly rejected.

Speaking to Sky News, Mr Clegg backed David Cameron's stance, arguing universities need to do more for poorer students and ethnic minorities.

"I think the wider point that the prime minister was making is absolutely right," he said.

"We do need to make real efforts to say to universities, if you want to continue to get support from the taxpayer to educate our young people, you've got to make sure that British society is better reflected in the people you take into the university in the first place."

The Liberal Democrat leader waded into the debate by highlighting figures that show few students on free school meals are admitted to Oxford and Cambridge.

"Here's a fact, last year only 40 children who had been on free school meals - in other words from some of the most disadvantaged families in this country - got into either Oxford or Cambridge and that was a lower number than the year before," he said.

A spokesperson for the university yesterday dismissed the prime minister's figure of one black student as "highly misleading".

The university said the number only referred to undergraduates of black Caribbean origin starting courses in 2009/10.

In that year, 26 undergraduate students were admitted to the university who said they were of black origin, and another 14 of mixed black descent.

Downing Street has since agreed the prime minister should have said "black Caribbean" but insisted Oxford needs to admit more ethnic minority students.

John Denham, shadow business secretary, said the government's increase in tuition fees would make it harder for black students to go to Oxford.

"The Tory-led government's plan to triple fees will make this situation worse, not better," he said.

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• education
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• higher education