Halfon calls out NUS over ‘incomprehensible’ no show at Education Select Committee

Education Select Committee chair Robert Halfon has criticised the National Union of Students after they failed to send a representative to answer questions from MPs on topics including “recent controversies on antisemitism.”

Tuesday’s meeting of the Committee in Westminster had been called to discuss issues around universities and higher education.

But in a clear reference to recent anger over the decision of the NUS to ask the rapper and conspiracy theorist Lowkey to perform at a forthcoming centenary event, Halfon, the MP for Harlow said it was “incomprehensible that [the NUS] was, in essence, unwilling to come and talk.”

Earlier in the meeting Halfon accused Lowkey of “making a number of antisemitic comments” including the claim the “mainstream media has weaponised the Jewish heritage of Zelensky, the President of Ukraine, to try and stave off genuine inquiries into these groups fighting in Ukraine.”

Halfon had asked Nicola Dandridge Chief executive of the Office for Students, what could be done to prevent issues of antisemitism on campus occurring.

She recommended close co-operation with Jewish student groups such as the UJS to “find out what they would find most helpful”.

Dandridge added her organisation did “not regulate” the NUS.

On Friday, after protests from Jewish student groups, the NUS announced they had cancelled Lowkey’s appearance at a 30 March event.

But Halfon told the Committee’s meeting: “I have to say, the NUS has shown great reluctance to appear before us today. We first contacted them over three weeks ago inviting them to appear, and got no response.

“It took six emails and seven phone calls before the NUS finally agreed to send a representative. And then we were told yesterday at 4:30 that the NUS could no longer attend because the representative was unwell.

“We asked for a replacement, and that was refused. I do think it disappointing that NUS responded in this way… and are not willing to appear before our committee.

“We will call them in for a separate session, they should be accountable to Parliament… there are some recent controversies involving antisemitism that involve the [NUS] and it would have been good to question them on this.

“I genuinely find it incomprehensible that [the NUS] was, in essence, unwilling to come and talk…”

On Wednesday Halfon told LBC presenter Nick Ferrari: “I really worry about what is going on with the National Union of Students. There appears to be almost institutional antisemitism.”