Taxpayers foot bill after Tory Michelle Donelan falsely accuses academic of support for Hamas

Science Secretary Michelle Donelan published a grovelling apology to Professor Kate Sang after falsely suggesting that the academic had expressed sympathy for Hamas

The minister issued a grovelling apology to the academic (

Image: Getty Images)

Tory Cabinet minister Michelle Donelan is facing calls to resign after taxpayers were forced to foot the bill for damages paid to an academic.

The Science Secretary shared a grovelling apology to Professor Kate Sang on Tuesday after falsely suggesting the academic had expressed sympathy for Hamas. Retracting the comments, Ms Donelan said she had deleted her original post on Twitter/X.

She said: “I quoted a tweet from Professor Sang which appeared to me to express disagreement with the Government’s crackdown on Hamas support in the UK and I suggested she was expressing sympathy and support for Hamas”. The senior minister added: “I fully accept that she is not an extremist, a supporter of Hamas or any other proscribed organisation and I note that an independent investigation has concluded that there is no evidence that she is.”

It is understood taxpayers covered an undisclosed “nominal sum” to Prof Sang and that it was handed over in an effort to reduce the costs that could result from protracted legal action.

The University College Union (UCU) said Ms Donelan should resign and accused the minister of “outrageous attack on academic freedom”. Labour demanded to know how much taxpayers’ money was spent and called Ms Donelan’s false allegations against the academics a “new low in government standards”, while the Liberal Democrats called for a Cabinet Office inquiry.

Labour’s Shadow Cabinet minister Peter Kyle said: ”The Secretary of State must prove she still has the confidence of the research community after using her department to make false allegations against academics. Accusing researchers of sharing extremist material and sympathising with a proscribed group, without any proof, is a new low in government standards.”

In October last year Ms Donelan shared a letter on Twitter/X suggesting the academic had expressed sympathy for Hamas after its attack on Israel. The minister had tweeted a letter she had written to UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) in October, expressing “disgust and outrage” that Prof Sang and another academic, Dr Kamna Patel, had “shared extremist views” and, in Prof Sang’s case, expressed sympathy for the terrorist group after the October 7 attacks in Israel.

Both academics had recently been appointed to UKRI’s advisory group on equality, diversity and inclusion and Ms Donelan said they should be removed from their posts. Prof Sang said: “I am delighted that this matter has now concluded, but very disturbed by the way in which Michelle Donelan and UKRI behaved.

“Had they asked me at the start, I would have explained the true position. Instead, Michelle Donelan made a cheap political point at my expense and caused serious damage to my reputation. I propose to donate part of the damages she has paid to a charity.”

Dr Patel described the experience as “distressing”, saying she was “glad” the process had concluded. She said: “There was never any need for UKRI to investigate as it should have been obvious from the start that we had not breached the Nolan principles or expressed extremist views. Worryingly, it appears UKRI were steered by who made the claim and not its substance.”