British composer elected Visiting Fellow in Music at Oriel College
Students hear from Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt
17 May 2024
Jeremy Hunt, one of the most experienced active politicians in the UK, delivered a talk to students at Oriel College, Oxford, on 9 May.
“Hearing from different senior political figures aligns with a College objective to offer constructive discussion and insight,” says Lord Mendoza CBE, the Provost of Oriel College, adding: “And who better to hear from than the Chancellor who has been in Cabinet in a range of roles since 2010?”
In his address to students, the Chancellor presented an optimistic account of the state of the UK economy and British politics after Brexit. He also argued that decentralising public services is “the way you get the most out of the public sector.”
Meeting President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv in April is a highlight of his political career, he told the audience.
Students challenged Hunt on economic policy, defence spending, Donald Trump, and the role of the UK in recent events in the Middle East.
The Chancellor’s visit came in the middle of what is generally expected to be an election year, and students were privy to the thinking of one of the most important figures shaping the UK’s contemporary economic debate.
An undergraduate student at Oriel College studying PPE, Aryan Dhanwani helped organise the logistics of the chancellor’s visit. He says it was an “amazing experience to learn more about the state of the British economy and what is being prioritised in order to further economic growth.”
“Having the opportunity to question and challenge such a high-profile figure in this government about some of their more unpopular policies and hearing a response has altered my position on some key areas in British politics and given me more clarity on my opinions,” he adds.