The men tasked with negotiating Britain’s exit from the European Union (also running the first ever UK government department to include a present continuous verb) hold the keys to the kingdom in their hands. It’s a vastly complicated task, and the highly-regarded Oliver Robbins will play a critical role in every twist and turn that will follow.
The sector has already been in to see them to state their case, but David Davis has never showed a great deal of interest in universities in the past, outside of the regular noises off from the Tory right. Davis hasn’t given much away yet about his approach to Brexit and it’s likely that the strategy for negotiations is not yet fully formed. But it is in his power to either ensure that universities and science remain front and centre of a lasting and sustainable deal, or set up a post-Brexit horror show for a sector that would be greatly diminished if Brexit ends up meaning something approximating the vision espoused by Davis’ former Vote Leave comrades.
How has Brexit influenced this year’s Power List? Read more here.