- By Sam Francis
- Political reporter, BBC News
Image supply, Shutterstock
Ms Donelan has admitted she was fallacious
Cabinet minister Michelle Donelan has paid an undisclosed sum and apologised to a professor after falsely suggesting she supported Hamas.
The science secretary admitted she was fallacious and has retracted her feedback about Professor Kate Sang.
The sum paid to Prof Sang was coated by taxpayers to stop extended authorized prices, the BBC has been informed.
Prof Sang mentioned Ms Donelan attacked her to make a “cheap political point”.
In a letter printed on social media submit, Ms Donelan had referred to as on UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) to lower ties with Professor Kate Sang for sharing what she claimed have been extremist views.
Ms Donelan – who has been Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology since July 2023 – additionally accused Dr Kamna Patel of University College London of sharing extremist content material on-line.
In the letter, Ms Donelan described her “disgust and outrage” at their current appointment to the UKRI’s advisory group on equality, variety and inclusion.
That letter adopted a social media submit by Prof Sang, describing a Guardian article on the federal government’s plans to clamp down on pro-Palestine marches as “disturbing”.
Dr Patel had retweeted a submit criticising Israeli actions as “genocide and apartheid”.
A months-long investigation by the UKRI into Prof Sang and Dr Patel discovered no proof that the advisers had breached both their roles’ phrases of reference or the Nolan ideas – guidelines for a way public officers ought to behave.
In a press release on Tuesday, Ms Donelan admitted she was fallacious and “misunderstood” the social media posts.
Ms Donelan posted a press release on X saying she had deleted her unique submit and absolutely accepted that Prof Sang was “not an extremist, a supporter of Hamas or other proscribed organisation”.
Hamas, or in some instances its armed wing alone, is taken into account a terrorist group by Israel, the US, the EU, and the UK, amongst others.
Prof Sang, an academic at Heriot Watt University, mentioned: “I’m delighted that this matter has now concluded, however very disturbed by the best way during which Michelle Donelan and UKRI behaved.
“Had they requested me firstly, I might have defined the true place. Instead, Michelle Donelan made an affordable political level at my expense and triggered critical injury to my repute. I suggest to donate a part of the damages she has paid to a charity.”
Dr Patel described the expertise as “distressing”, saying she was “glad” the method had concluded.
She mentioned: “There was by no means any want for UKRI to examine because it ought to have been apparent from the beginning that we had not breached the Nolan ideas or expressed extremist views.”
A Downing Street supply mentioned Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had “full confidence” in “glorious minister” Ms Donelan.
Shadow science secretary Peter Kyle mentioned accusing a researcher of sharing extremist materials and sympathising with a proscribed group was a “new low in authorities requirements”.
The fee to Prof Sang got here from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT).
The fee was made to cut back the general prices to the taxpayer that might end result from protracted authorized motion, the BBC understands.
