University senior management are really good at some things — like evading responsibility for monumental cock-ups (see Dundee University here) or awarding each other big pay rises (see Stirling University here).
And cover-ups.
The home of the cover-up is Oxbridge. We’ll be dealing with massive cover-ups at Oxford and Cambridge Universities shortly. But here, we’ll take a look at another strong performance in our ancient university towns, this time by Anglia Ruskin University (ARU).
Mark Garratt is a member of Anglia Ruskin University’s Executive Board and is Director of Marketing, Communications and Recruitment.
In 2024, Mark Garratt used his personal account to post tweets and ‘likes’ endorsing extremist views, including support for the violent far-right activist Tommy Robinson and approval of the Great Replacement Theory. Bizarrely, these posts appeared alongside tweets promoting ARU events, such as inclusivity and Pride celebrations. Tommy Robinson, or more properly Stephen Christopher Yaxley-Lennon, is currently serving an 18-month prison sentence at HM Prison Woodhill for contempt of court. The Great Replacement Theory alleges a conspiracy to replace white Europeans with non-whites with the complicity of elites and politicians. More examples of Garratt’s Twitter activity are given here.
The University and College Union (UCU) raised the issue in an Open Letter to ARU Governors, alleging “serious failures of management and gross misconduct at the highest levels of our university“. Due to the severity of the allegations, ARU’s UCU branch publicly declared that it had no confidence in both the Director of Marketing and the Chief Operating Officer..
The mixing of the private and the institutional in a Twitter/X account is already a massive red flag. The contents of Garratt’s tweets seem at odds with his glowing public description of himself: “He is a campaigner for equality, diversity and inclusion and is an ambassador for AWLO (African Women in Leadership Organisation) and the White Ribbon campaign.”
Garratt’s behaviour is wholly inconsistent with the principles that underpin any university. It is wholly inconsistent with ARU’s written policies, such as the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion policy here
Equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) underpins all that we do for those who study and work at ARU and for the communities we serve. We celebrate the diversity of our community and are dedicated to strengthening the sense of belonging for all its members. EDI is a continual process of learning and making conscious steps to improve. Through positive collaboration based on a shared purpose, we will build a more equitable experience for all. [EDI Policy, ARU]
Nonetheless, Mark Garratt remains in post, in a very senior position at ARU. It is unclear if any effective or significant disciplinary action was taken. Certainly, any academic who posted or supported this kind of material would be facing (rightly) serious disciplinary action.
ARU stated: “We take any breaches of our policies seriously, and any allegations are addressed promptly and in accordance with the relevant policies. This matter has been previously raised and investigated. Appropriate action was taken, and we consider the matter to be closed.”, according to the Cambridge Independent.
This is very characteristic of senior management at most UK universities.
They cover up for each other. They protect each other. They bend the rules for each other. They suppress documents for each other. Corruption is so endemic, they regard this as normal. It’s ‘protecting the institution’. After the closing of ranks, we get the parroting of ‘we consider the issue is closed ‘.
The culture at a university is set at the top. It’s set by the Vice Chancellor and the senior management team. It’s vital to have integrity at the top.
It is one law for them and another for the rest of us. Academics can be bullied, harassed and abused at will.
But when pathetic and incompetent members of university management are called out for their misdeeds the entire machinery swings into motion to protect them.
It is very rare that university senior management pay the price. Here’s a case known to me.
https://www.swansea.ac.uk/press-office/news-events/statements/update-on-internal-investigation.php#:~:text=Richard%20Davies%20(former%20Vice%2DChancellor,investigation%20undertaken%20by%20the%20Police.
Richard Davies (former Vice-Chancellor of Swansea University) was suspended in connection with financial irregularities. He was summarily dismissed for gross misconduct and gross negligence in July 2019.
Maybe there are other cases?
There is a pleasing directness to the methods of Swansea University
In Oxbridge, if a Vice Chancellor needs to be gotten rid quickly, there are usually subtler ways 😉
Management at ARU are just stonewalling. It can often work in university management, e.g.,
“The University considers this matter as closed. We will not be responding to further inquiries. You should not interpret lack of response as consent.”
The trick is to continue, making the matter more & more & more public. Looks like ARU students and staff are doing the right thing.
UPDATE
We are informed that Mark Garratt resigned on Monday 31 March 2025.
No explanation from the senior management team at ARU has yet been provided.
The past year has been one of the most challenging periods for the higher education sector in living memory. Universities across the UK are navigating serious financial pressures, while colleagues at every level are working harder than ever to protect opportunities for students and to uphold the values that make British education globally respected.
Throughout my career, I have been proud to contribute to that mission. I have spent two decades helping UK universities build their global reputation — attracting the brightest and best students, strengthening partnerships, and promoting the principles of inclusion, opportunity and social mobility that define our sector at its best.
It has therefore been personally painful to see online claims suggesting I hold extremist views, or that I am somehow supportive of figures such as Tommy Robinson. Nothing could be further from the truth. My record — from leading Black History Month initiatives and mentoring BAME colleagues, to playing an active role in Pride months and being an ambassador the HeForShe campaign, the African Women in Leadership Organisation and the White Ribbon Campaign — speaks for itself. I have spent my professional life standing for equality, respect and inclusion.
As someone who helped launch the Bradford Literature Festival, one of Europe’s most diverse and inclusive cultural platforms, I have always believed that universities and public institutions must reflect the communities they serve.
I recognise that public life brings scrutiny, and I welcome open discussion. But it is vital that conversations about individuals are grounded in fact, not misrepresentation. This matter was reviewed through the proper channels and resolved in line with university procedures.
I remain committed to supporting colleagues and institutions as we work through a difficult chapter for our sector — one that demands integrity, collaboration and belief in the positive role universities play in society.