The free school pioneer was appointed to the board of a newly-created universities regulator last week.
LONDON — The UK government's decision to appoint Tony Young to the board of a new universities regulator has been met by a backlash due to things the journalist and free school pioneer has tweeted in the past.
Theresa May's government announced last week that Young will sit on the board of the newly-established Office for Students.
However, Labour has urged Prime Minister May to reverse the appointment, citing a series of tweets Young has now deleted which have been described as sexist, homophobic and insulting to a number of groups.
For example, Young once said that working-class students at Oxford were "universally unattractive" and "small, vaguely deformed undergraduates." He also said described wheelchair ramps being installed in schools as a symptom of "ghastly inclusivity."
He described a gay celebrity as looking "queer as a coot" and recalled visiting a bar containing "hardcore dykes."
He also made a series of apparently sexist remarks about women.
Young has denied holding any prejudices: "I’m neither misogynistic nor homophobic. I’m a strong supporter of both women’s rights and LGBT rights," he said.
He also posted a 40 tweet thread responding to the allegations.
Here are the tweets about women that Young has deleted:
Politics: Here are all the sexist tweets Toby Young has just deleted
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