The former Conservative MP Dominic Grieve QC will lead a review of the governance of Christ Church, Oxford, following a vote by its governing body.
Mr Grieve, former Attorney General and shadow home secretary, received “overwhelming” endorsement from governors to chair the Independent Governance Review, which follows the departure in April of the college’s dean, Martyn Percy, after a long-running dispute which prompted the Charity Commission to propose the measure.
In a statement, the college said the review will make recommendations “to ensure that Christ Church’s statutes, by-laws and governance arrangements meet the needs of this unique institution in the twenty-first century”. It is expected to make its report in 2023.
Mr Grieve, who was a student at Magdalen College, Oxford, was “pleased and honoured” by the appointment, and said he believed the review would “help Christ Church to sustain its long history of academic excellence and flourish as a modern institution”.
Christ Church is both a college of the university and Oxford’s Anglican cathedral, with the dean of the cathedral also serving as head of the college and subject to both its governing body and the Church of England. During Dr Percy’s acrimonious dispute with the governing body, which lasted for more than three years, he initially faced disciplinary proceedings under college statutes but was subsequently investigated under the Church of England’s safeguarding rules.
This followed an allegation of sexual harassment in 2020 which was settled earlier this year. Dr Percy agreed to resign from his post with a seven-figure pay-off.
The Church of England's Independent Safeguarding Board announced the terms of its own review of safeguarding at Christ Church in May this year. The Anglican Bishop of Oxford, Steven Croft, faced criticism from Dr Percy for his role in the dispute. The college will conduct its own review of policies and procedures on sexual harassment, at the request of Alannah Jeune, who made the allegation of sexual harassment against Dr Percy.
The review of governance is expected to propose alterations to the official relationship between the cathedral and its college, which was first established at the Reformation. Mr Grieve, who is a practising Anglican and former member of the London diocesan synod, said he was “delighted to play a role in this process”.
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