Blomfield: Wharton ‘spectacularly unqualified’ as OfS chair

MP says appointment ‘raises issues’ about government recruitment

An influential MP has added his voice to growing concerns over Conservative peer James Wharton’s appointment as chair of the Office for Students.

Paul Blomfield, Labour MP for Sheffield Central and chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Students, told Research Professional News that Wharton would “have to do an awful lot to justify [his appointment at the OfS] because he seems spectacularly unqualified for the job”.