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A past winner of the Hawthornden Prize and the Whitbread Award, Professor Hill secured over 800 votes more than his nearest rival, the Beat poet Michael Horovitz.

More than 2,500 votes were cast in person and online to elect a successor to Christopher Ricks. Professor Hill, an Oxford alumnus, will be the 44th poet in the role since it was created in 1708. A contest was held last year but the winner, Ruth Padel, stepped down after it emerged that she had contacted a newspaper with allegations about a rival candidate, Derek Walcott, who had previously been accused of sexual harassment.

simon.baker@tsleducation.com