The QC leading an independent investigation into alleged antisemitism within the National Union of Students has announced she will examine the election of the organisation’s incoming president as well as wider concerns.
Rebecca Tuck, who was appointed to head the inquiry after consultations between the NUS and the Union of Jewish Students (UJS), said an internal investigation into Shaima Dallali, the president-elect, under the NUS’s code of conduct would take first priority, with her findings to be announced within weeks.
Tuck said the larger inquiry would include a month-long public call for evidence starting on 6 June, with her final report to be published by the end of October.
The independent inquiry was called by the NUS after a series of allegations involving antisemitism within the organisation, culminating in the Department for Education (DfE) and the Office for Students (OfS) announcing they would break formal ties with the NUS until Jewish students had confidence that the organisation could represent them.
The NUS represents 7 million students at universities and colleges, with 600 student unions affiliated. The suspension affects its relations with only the government in Westminster and not those in other nations.
The election earlier this year of Dallali attracted controversy because of some of her past social media statements, including a tweet that included a reference to a historical attack on Jews. Other allegations have since emerged, including those involving her election campaign, which are now expected to be investigated by Tuck.
Dallali has welcomed the investigation and denied she is antisemitic, and apologised for the tweet that was posted 10 years ago.
Tuck said: “I intend to publish a first draft of the final report by the end of September and a final draft by the end of October 2022. This will be a thorough, open and transparent process. Regarding the internal investigation under the code of conduct, I will commence the process on 6 June 2022 and aim to conclude my investigation as a priority within the coming weeks.”
The NUS said it was “prepared to take any and all actions that Rebecca Tuck QC’s investigation may recommend”.
Jewish groups and civil servants have also raised concerns over the actions of James Wharton, the chair of the Office for Students, England’s higher education regulator, in addressing a political conference in Hungary that attracted far-right and antisemitic speakers. Wharton also publicly endorsed the re-election of Viktor Orbán, the Hungarian prime minister.
Wharton later said he had not been aware of the backgrounds of other speakers. “It goes without saying that I have no time for racist or antisemitic views of any kind,” he told OfS staff in a message. However, the Public and Commercial Services Union representing OfS staff has made a formal complaint to the DfE, calling for an investigation into his behaviour.
“The OfS has chosen to cease engaging with the NUS because of antisemitism, in the very same week that its chair spoke at this conference. James Wharton’s behaviour undermines this strategic decision, damages the OfS’s reputation and makes it harder for us to deliver our work with any credibility,” the PCSU letter stated.