by It cost taxpayers £15,000 in damages paid to academic Science Secretary Michelle Donelan who was falsely accused of supporting Hamas, her department said.
The amount was paid “without acknowledging any liability”, according to the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT).
The Cabinet Minister is facing calls to resign and pay the cost herself after she had to retract comments she made about Professor Kate Sang last year.
Ms Donelan issued a statement on Tuesday saying there was “no evidence” the academic was supporting the militant group.
Prof Sang launched a defamation action against Ms Donelan after the minister tweeted a letter she wrote to UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) in October, expressing her “shame and outrage” and by another academic, Dr Kamna Patel, “to share extremists. comments” and, in Professor Sang’s case, expressed sympathy for Hamas after the October 7 attacks on Israel.
The letter followed a tweet from Professor Sang saying “This is disturbing”, and which included a link to a Guardian newspaper article describing the response to Hamas attacks in the UK, and Dr Patel’s post re- tweet describing Israel’s actions as “genocide. and apartheid”.
Ms Donelan accepted on Tuesday that Professor Sang’s comments referred to the Guardian story as a whole, and not just the headline, which focused on the Government’s crackdown on support for Hamas.
My statement on recent correspondence regarding Research England’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Group. pic.twitter.com/Fn3xRdwjxX
— Michelle Donelan MP (@michelledonelan) March 5, 2024
The Government then faced calls to reveal how much was spent on settling the libel claim after DSIT revealed it had covered the sum.
A spokesperson from the DSIT said on Wednesday: “There is a well-established precedent under multiple administrations that support and legal representation is provided to ministers when matters relate to their conduct and responsibilities as a minister, as was the case here.
“The Secretary of State has always received the appropriate advice from the relevant officials.
“A sum of £15,000 was paid without admitting any liability. This approach is intended to reduce the overall costs to the taxpayer that may result from protracted legal action, regardless of the outcome.”
The Liberal Democrats demanded that Ms Donelan cover the costs herself or her wages be cut.
The Democrats’ deputy leader, Daisy Cooper, said: “This is not a scandal and we don’t yet know the full legal costs.
“If Michelle Donelan had any shred of integrity left, she would pay this bill out of her own pocket instead of asking taxpayers to pick up the tab. If she refuses to do so, Rishi Sunak should dock her wages.
“This news will come as a bone of contention to people who are seeing their finances squeezed by the cost of living crisis and local health services on their knees.
“This is yet another scandal that proves it’s time to get this Conservative Government out of office for good.”
Shadow science secretary Peter Kyle said Ms Donelan’s actions “fell far below what was expected of a minister”.
“It is appalling that £15,000 of taxpayers’ money has been spent on the Science Secretary calling a scientist a terrorist sympathizer on social media, with no evidence whatsoever,” he said.
“Michelle Donelan should be ashamed, she should apologize and she should refund the full amount to the taxpayer. Her behavior falls so far below what was expected of a minister.
“It is emblematic of the arrogance and recklessness of this Tory Government that a minister is forcing the taxpayer to foot the legal bill for the abuse of hurling by an online scientist.”
As a result of Ms Donelan’s claims last year, both Professor Sang and Dr Patel were subject to investigation by UKRI, where they were recently appointed to the equality, diversity and inclusion advisory group.
The probe revealed no evidence that they expressed extremist views or support for Hamas, or that they violated the terms of their appointment.
Jo Grady, General Secretary of the University and College Union (UCU), said: “Despite using taxpayers’ money to pay damages and settle a libel claim, Michelle Donelan has failed to apologize to those who were falsely accused and she attacked, or for the damage she caused. made for the academic community.
“Things got worse because she withdrew her allegations after a long legal process.
“These are not the actions of someone dealing in good faith in our sector.
“As the union representing academics, we are forced to conclude that Ms Donelan’s position cannot be accepted.
“She does not maintain the trust of the academic community, and does not uphold good standards of professional conduct. She has to quit.”
