Oxford dons plot to prevent Williams becoming chancellor

Baroness Williams, seen by many as the only viable candidate to succeed Lord Jenkins as chancellor of Oxford University, is facing a groundswell of opposition from within the 900-year-old institution.

As she prepares to make her final decision about whether to stand for the most high-profile role in academe this week, whisperings have begun about her "unsuitability".

The cause of unrest seems to be twofold. The more pernickety scholars grumble about Lady Williams's notoriously poor timekeeping and dowdy appearance. But more potentially harmful is the resentment still harboured by those who have never forgiven her for her radical reforms as Labour's Education Minister in the Sixties and Seventies. To some, her decision to dismantle the grammar school system is to blame for a lowering of academic standards from which Britain has never recovered.

One Oxford don, who declined to be named, also claimed Lady Williams was "not a person of any influence anywhere". "Influence" is seen as fundamental to the job of chancellor. Over champagne and canapés, the personal stature of the chancellor can make or break vital donations.

What is so vexing the university is the absence of an obvious contender. Of the handful of names so far mooted, apart from Lady Williams, only two are seen as viable propositions: Chris Patten and Bill Clinton.

Mr Patten, the famously wet Conservative Cabinet minister who is now EU Commissioner for External Affairs, has yet to be formally approached, but is likely to face strong objections from within his own party if he does stand. Sources warn "the right will find a candidate just to spoil his chances" and would "rather have Shirley Williams or Clinton".

In reality, Mr Clinton too is an unlikely candidate. Despite his popularity with students, it is feared his other commitments would prevent him from carrying out his duties in anything more than a notional way.

In any case, Mr Clinton appears to have all but ruled himself out. Last week, his New York office said: "He is very busy with the work of his foundation and this is not something he's considering."

Nonetheless, the former Chancellor of the Exchequer Lord Healey believes he is the only candidate with the requisite global appeal. "Bill Clinton may be able to touch the Americans for a bit of money of which the university is always in short supply," he said.

Lady Williams told The Independent on Sunday she would be deciding in the next few days whether to stand. She said the criticism of her appearance amused her, adding: "I stand as I stand and people take me as that or not."