Vince Cable to be overruled over appointment of university access tsar

The business secretary, Vince Cable, is expected to be overruled by an influential Commons committee over the appointment of a new university access tsar. Cable has endorsed Prof Les Ebdon, an advocate of new universities and a critic of higher fees, for the role of director of the higher education access watchdog – the Office for Fair Access. The watchdog's current director, Sir Martin Harris, is stepping down. Ebdon, vice-chancellor of Bedfordshire University and chair of a lobby group for new universities called -Million+, wants to impose large fines on universities that do not take sufficient numbers of disadvantaged students. He has also advocated what he has called a "nuclear option" of forbidding them from charging maximum fees of £9,000 a year. But Tory MPs on the business, innovation and skills select committee, including the chair, Graham Stuart, are expected to veto his appointment at midday on Wednesday. Private schools and the country's 20 leading research universities are thought to have lobbied against Ebdon's appointment. Ebdon attended a pre-appointment hearing before MPs last week. Michael Gove, the education secretary, is said to be against Ebdon getting the role, while David Willetts, the universities minister, is in favour of his appointment. Cable and other Lib Dems are thought to believe that Ebdon would improve social mobility and fairness in university admissions. The government could overrule the MPs if they do not endorse Ebdon, or they could start the recruitment process from scratch – a more likely option. Ebdon has said universities should be more flexible by admitting students with lower grades if they have attended low-performing schools – something most, but not all, institutions do. Data shows the poorest 40% of students are seven times less likely to be admitted to the 20 most prestigious universities than the richest 10%. • This article was amended on 8 February 2012. The original referred to Tory MPs on the education select committee. This has been corrected.