Gavin Williamson, MP for South Staffordshire, wrote to Lisa Nandy, Labour MP for Wigan, about the work of a UCU officer in her parliamentary office.

¡°I am sure many of your constituents would be surprised to learn that you employ a senior official of a strident union whose general secretary [Sally Hunt] has been reported as chanting ¡®Tory scum¡¯ in a public address and whose president [Alan Whitaker] has incited law-breaking and violent protest,¡± Mr Williamson says in the letter, released by the Conservative Party¡¯s press office.

It refers to reports of Ms Hunt¡¯s conduct on the UCU-organised Fund Our Future: Stop Education Cuts demonstration of 10 November and to a statement supporting arrested students signed by some members of the union¡¯s national executive committee, led by Mr Whitaker.

Mr Williamson claims that Ms Nandy¡¯s ¡°employment¡± of Lisa Johnson, the UCU¡¯s political liaison officer, raises ¡°serious questions¡±.

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He asks whether ¡°the substantial number of UCU officials who have backed violent and illegal forms of protest now have a direct line to Parliament¡±.

Some UCU members described Mr Williamson¡¯s letter as a Tory ¡°smear¡± designed to divert attention ahead of a House of Commons vote on the abolition of the educational maintenance allowance (EMA), to be held today.

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The UCU has opposed the government¡¯s plans to abolish the EMA, a payment of up to ?30 a week to children from poorer families who remain in post-16 education.

A UCU spokesman said: ¡°The UCU¡¯s unequivocal position is that we are committed to non-violent protests, and absolutely condemn violence of any kind, whoever is the perpetrator.¡±

Ms Nandy said that she had not received the letter nor been in contact with Mr Williamson.

Ms Johnson ¡°works in a voluntary capacity, primarily in coordinating the cross-party inquiry into looked-after children that I co-chair with Conservative MP Edward Timpson, but she is not paid out of parliamentary allowances by either of us¡±, Ms Nandy said.

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Ms Nandy has declared her sponsorship of a parliamentary pass for Ms Johnson and made clear her role with the UCU.

john.morgan@tsleducation.com