Chris Smith, the Master of Pembroke and former Cabinet Minister, has announced that he will be running for the position of University Chancellor.

The House of Lords member was the Secretary of State for Culture, Media, and Sport under Tony Blair, and served as the Chairman of the Environment Agency from 2008-2014. In 2015, he became the Master of Pembroke.

Smith was the first MP in the UK to voluntarily come out as gay, and in 1997 became the first openly gay Cabinet Minister anywhere in the world. 

Smith says: “I have always set great store by openness and transparency in public life; it is important always to stand up for what you believe in.”

The Pembroke Master has also declared that he demonstrates a “strong commitment to academic and collegiate Cambridge,” having completed an undergraduate degree in English and PhD at Pembroke.

As “someone who has a record of successfully leading a College, and who understands the fundamental importance of the relationship between the University and the College,” Smith believes he has “the right background to become Chancellor”.

Smith told Varsity that one of his principal focuses as Chancellor would be academic freedom, which he described as being “thrown into sharp relief by what is happening across the Atlantic”. He added that universities are “above all places that are about seeking truth and evidence and fact,” which is becoming increasingly important in a “world of misinformation”.

He also believes that the Chancellor has the potential to “act as a voice reminding the government of how important universities are,” both “in terms of what they represent for the bettering of society” and “how important they are economically”.

Smith also acknowledged the importance of environmental issues for students at the University. He stated that, while the University “already has grand ambitions” regarding net zero targets and measures in response to climate change, “We need to make sure that delivery follows rhetoric.”

In 2021, Smith oversaw Pembroke’s commitment to fully divest from fossil fuels by the end of 2023. He has also overseen the construction of the £82 million Mill Lane development, which offers nearly 100 new student rooms. The site uses air-source heat pumps, solar panels, and rainwater capture methods.

The Pembroke master has also placed emphasis on the importance of preserving freedom of speech, acknowledging that this “sometimes be uncomfortable” and “means being prepared to listen to views with which you don’t agree, and which in some cases may offend you”. He also described himself as being “in favour of contesting unpalatable views”.

“A combination of a record of successful public service” and “an intrinsic commitment to Cambridge” are factors which Smith believes makes him a suitable candidate for Chancellor. He added: “Cambridge is in my blood.”

Smith’s candidacy has been endorsed by Mayor of Greater Manchester and Fitzwilliam alumnus, Andy Burnham.

Burnham says of Smith: “His lifelong approach of promoting academic and cultural excellence, whilst opening up the widest possible access to it, marks him out as the right leader for our University in its next phase”.

Newnham alumnus Julia Neuberger, a member of the House of Lords and Britain’s second female rabbi, describes Smith as having been “devoted to Cambridge since his undergraduate days,” adding: “He’s a passionate academic, a seasoned politician, a man with a cross party set of friendships and allies, and someone who always gives of his all.”

There are six other candidates running for Chancellor. These are business owner and activist Gina Miller, Queens’ College president Mohamed El-Erian, former BP chief executive Lord Browne, Cambridge Astrophysics professor Wyn Evans, Education Professor Tony Booth, and broadcaster and comedian Sandi Toksvig.

The Chancellor serves as the formal and ceremonial head of the University, and has little executive power over the University. However, they do have the authority to call and chair Congregations of the Regent House, the University’s governing body. They are also responsible for deciding certain contested and unresolved matters on appeal.

The current Chancellor is David Sainsbury, former chairman of Sainsbury’s supermarkets, who was elected by the Senate in October 2011.