Young’s appointment was a serious mistake, at least he has realised – Cable

Just a week after the Office for Students legally came into force, Toby Young has resigned from the board after a social media backlash against his offensive comments and articles.

Commenting on Toby Young’s resignation from the Board of the Office for Students, Sir Michael Barber, Chair of the Board, said:

I welcome Toby Young’s statement. He has reached the right conclusion. Mr Young has done good work founding a number of schools, as Director of the New Schools Network, and to promote greater social mobility.

However, many of his previous tweets and articles were offensive, and not in line with the values of the Office for Students. Mr Young was right to offer an unreserved apology for these comments and he was correct to say that his continuation in the role would have distracted from our important work. I now look forward to working with the Board, and our newly appointed student panel, as we prepare for the Office for Students to begin its operations in April.

Responding to the resignation of Toby Young, Vince Cable, Leader of the Liberal Democrats, said:

Toby Young’s appointment was a serious mistake, but at least the man himself has realised as much and resigned.

The Conservatives must get their basic due diligence right – getting a role in public office cannot be based solely on being a friend of Boris Johnson. 

Theresa May stood by a misogynist and supporter of eugenics. She has shown poor judgement and, coupled with a troubled reshuffle, has made a bad start to the year.