Cambridge University 'discriminating against rich, white privately-educated men', claims vice-chancellor of rival institution which is launching a degree course on the rise of 'woke' culture

Cambridge University is discriminating against privately educated white men, it has been claimed.

Professor James Tooley, the vice-chancellor of the University of Buckingham, is set to unveil a new course next week on the origins of the ‘woke’ movement.

The course has already signed up 100 people for an online course and there are plans for a master’s degree and a PhD in the subject this Autumn.

Professor Tooley, who is a former academic at Newcastle University, highlighted Cambridge University for explicitly saying it would reduce the number of wealthier white males.

Professor James Tooley, the vice-chancellor of the University of Buckingham

Pictured, King’s College Chapel in the University of Cambridge in Cambridge

The professor said that oppression comes from the top as the demands of government mingling with peer pressure has created a groupthink.

He also said regulators setting diversity and inclusion targets meant censorship was infiltrating admissions and research.

The professor said: ‘Cambridge famously, explicitly, is reducing the numbers of what you might call wealthier white males.

‘They’re increasing the number of ethnic minority males and females, and females in general, and are therefore reducing the number of white males.

‘And therefore what you see is admissions policies being undermined by a government regulator.

Professor Tooley said he was inspired by the private institution’s co-founder and former chancellor Margaret Thatcher (pictured)

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‘Cambridge is absolutely being discriminatory against the privately educated, particularly privately educated white males.

‘They are being discriminated against. It is very insidious but the government isn’t off the hook here.

‘There is the potential for the regulator to use conditions of registration to interfere with academic freedom.

‘They’re already using them to interfere with the selection of students.’

Cambridge’s state school intake has increased to 72.9 per cent in 2022, compared with 64.1 per cent of those offered places in 2013, The Times reported.

Buckingham is the country’s oldest private university and was founded in 1976.

It was granted university status seven years later.

Professor Tooley said he was inspired by the private institution’s co-founder and former chancellor Margaret Thatcher.

He said he felt she had been ‘at his shoulder’ and would have supported his battle for free and diverse speech.

MailOnline has contacted Cambridge University for comment.

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