Vice-Chancellor blows £20k on Far East tour

Fat cat Vice-Chancellor Sir Eric Thomas and his wife spent over £20,000 of the university’s money on a trip around the Far East earlier this year.

A freedom of information request by Epigram revealed the university spent an astonishing £20,518.33 on a trip for the retiring VC and his missus in January.

Stopping off at popular tourist destinations such as Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Sydney and Melbourne, Sir Eric racked up quite a bill from flights, hotels and airport transfers between the 9th and 21st of January.

Mr. International: Eric Thomas has been on the move recently

Sir Eric, who is due to stand down as Vice-Chancellor at the end of this academic year, also recently signed an open letter opposing a cut in tuition fees.

He argued a fee cap drop from £9,000 to £6,000 “would damage the economy” and “affect the quality of students’ education”. However, he made no mention of how useful an extra £3k per student is in getting an upgrade to business class.

A university spokesperson told The Tab the trip was “a necessary part of university business, essential to develop links with other universities and governments.”

What other Brits get up to on visits to Hong Kong

The spokesperson refused to comment when asked whether his visit showed a bias towards deep-pocketed foreign students, though they did admit there was a desire to “generate new student applications from a diverse range of countries.”

Chris Knights, a third year Ancient Historian, told The Tab that Thomas’s trip represents the latest in a long line of disappointments:

“Yet again, the University seems to be putting its business ventures before the needs of the people who it claims to serve.”