Donelan apologises for making Hamas claim on social media, after taxpayers had to pay £15k damages
Michelle Donelan has apologised for publicly posting a letter on social media falsely suggesting an academic had expressed sympathy for Hamas.
The science secretary later retracted her comments about Professor Kate Sang and agreed to pay her £15,000 in taxpayer money.
She accepted there was “no evidence” the academic, who had recently been appointed to the UK Research and Innovation’s (UKRI) advisory group on equality, diversity and inclusion, was a Hamas supporter.
Speaking at the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee on Tuesday, Ms Donelan said she should have privately written to UKRI raising her alleged concerns, instead of posting the letter on X.
She also said civil servants were aware that she was going to publish her letter on the platform.
ITV News Political Reporter Jasmine Cameron-Chileshe explains what the science secretary had to say
Ms Donelan told the committee: “While I always err on the side of transparency, I am now clear that in this case, I could have sent the letter in confidence to the UKRI in order for them to undertake the investigations privately.
“And I do apologise for not having done so, and for any distraction that this decision has caused from this Government’s positive agenda.”
She added: “I highlighted it on the platform that the original tweet was done on – Twitter, or X – and that was something I have apologised for.
“With hindsight, I could have just sent it privately and if I had the ability to do it again, I would certainly just send it privately.
“So I’ve said that publicly as well as retracting the original comments, which I do think is important.
“In terms of advice, of course, with long-time precedent, we don’t get into the actual nature of the advice.
“But what I can tell you here today, is that both policy and legal were not only cited but also cleared the approach taken.”
A colleague of Prof Sang told ITV News last week he was "shocked and hurt" by the whole situation
Professor Dibyesh Anand was included, alongside Prof Sang, in a piece by think tank Policy Exchange, which put out what lawyers have called a “seriously misleading press release” about the academics’ comments.
The report was released on the same day that Ms Donelan published her letter accusing Prof Sang of being a Hamas sympathiser.
Prof Anand said the "attack was ideological" and done without "serious questioning" of his and his colleague's work.
"It was disappointing to see the way the minister was willing to put the reputation of the UKRI at risk without care for any one of us, by publicly attacking us," he said.
Prof Anand made clear he spoke to ITV News as an individual, not as a representative for the group as a whole.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stood by Ms Donelan, insisting it was a "longstanding convention that the government funds legal disputes when it relates to ministers doing their work."
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