The Higher Education and Research Act’s passage through the House of Lords proved that the university sector – and in particular the most ancient institutions – still hold a strong influence in the upper house and at the heart of the British establishment. 2017 was the year in which that influence could be brought most to bear, with the Lords passing numerous ‘wrecking amendments’ that subsequently secured concessions from the government.
The new legislative basis for universities has been profoundly influenced by a small group of active and well connected peers, including Viscount Younger (government spokesman), Lord Stevenson (Labour spokesman), the Duke of Wellington (serial Conservative rebel), Lord Billimoria and Lord Hannay (champions for international students), Lord Lipsey (TEF metrics’ critic), Baroness Garden (Liberal Democrats), Lord Kerslake, Baroness Deech, Baroness Brown, Lord Norton and others.