Nominations for the next Chancellor of the University of Cambridge now range from a billionaire businessman, Baron Sainsbury; to a protesting local shopkeeper, Mr Abdul Arain; to the booming Shakespearean actor, Brian Blessed.

 The position is currently held by HRH Prince Philip who is stepping down at the end of this month after 34 years in the job. He resigns just weeks after his ninetieth birthday, stating that as a public figure and senior member of the royal family, ‘I reckon I’ve done my bit.’

At the end of May it was announced the University Nomination Board had recommended Baron Sainsbury of Turville, businessman, politician, great-grandson of the original Lord Sainsbury and an alumnus of King’s College, Cambridge, to succeed Prince Philip and become the “constitutional head of the University”.

He accepted the nomination, saying he was “delighted” to be asked, and it was widely expected that he would run without competition to be named Chancellor at the beginning of July.

However a week later, a grocery store owner, Mr Abdul Arain, announced plans to run against the former government minister in protest of a proposed Sainsbury’s opening on the road of his shop, Al-Amin. Comparing himself, as an “outsider”, to Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election, he told reporters, ‘The University of Cambridge has shown great leadership on many occasions. Today, once again, the university is called upon to be the vanguard of local communities. To this end I seek nomination for the office of the Chancellor of the University of Cambridge.”

Less than two weeks later, he has received the required fifty nominations from Senate members, and has been named as an official candidate.

One member of the public commenting on the story proclaimed, “More power to Mr Arain’s project! Al-Amin’s is a wonderful asset to Mill Road and Cambridge. Stop the chain supermarkets from taking over the ‘convenience shop’ market! Curb uniformity and encourage real diversity! Cambridge don’t let this happen in your town!”

Laura Brightman, a Natural Science fresher also championed Mr Arain’s cause claiming she would want as Chancellor, “anyone but Lord Sainsbury, we have too many of his stores opening up and one is plenty for the centre, he will just monopolise Cambridge and that is not the ideal intention of our Chancellor.”

In another unexpected twist, a third nominee was suggested via a Facebook campaign, advocating the accession of Brian Blessed. The actor, author and adventurer is most famous for his thunderous voice and has starred in everything from Black Adder, to Hamlet, to Tarzan.

The initiators of the nomination were Cambridge alumni, Seth Thévoz, James Ross and Stuart Moore, who claimed on the Facebook group, “The man, the myth, the legend that is the actor Brian Blessed would make an AMAZING Chancellor. Picture Brian loudly reciting the Latin at graduation ceremonies and you have some idea of what a legend Brian would be.”

The group is positive that Brian Blessed is a viable choice, one member posting, along with a link to a video in which Blessed plays a policeman, “Brian Blessed is an archetypal ‘larger than life’ character who would perfectly fill the role of Chancellor at Cambridge University. With his affinity for the establishment he would serve well as a wonderful Ambassador.”

When contacted by his fans about the campaign, Brian Blessed said he was, “absolutely staggered…and of course, I am delighted to accept that nomination. For me, Cambridge has always been the centre of the earth, there is a brightness and light there that rivals that on Mount Everest. The University buildings are architecturally beautiful, the whole setting is wonderful and enchants the soul. I am thrilled to be asked and wish you every success with the campaign.”

One alumni on the Facebook group commented, “I am just glad that Lord Sainsbury will not run unopposed, as with his recent massive contribution to the development of the Sainsbury building on the Botanical Gardens site, it would be a shame if an unchallenged successful bid were perceived to be a ‘bought’ position.”

On the other hand, Austin Mahler, an undergraduate law student at Cambridge claimed that if financial benefits could reach students he could be swayed, saying, “The prospect of student deals and potentially prices that could compete with Tesco are grounds to back Lord Sainsbury.”

Another lawyer, Chris Monk commented, “’I prefer Blessed as I want a figurehead not a professional – we already have a Vice Chancellor after all.”

The Senate will hold congregate in October to decide the matter and anyone with a higher degree from the University – including the MA which is an honorary degree “conferred by right” to holders of a Cambridge BA two years after their graduation – can vote.

With the Brian Blessed Facebook campaign already advising alumni on whether they will need to bring gowns, and Mr Arain holding interviews with the press accompanied by his campaign managers, it is fair to say that although Baron Sainsbury is the official choice, he is certainly no longer the only one in the running.

Four Oxford Dons have been acknowledged in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list in recognition of their service to science.

Professors Christopher Hood and Wendy James were made CBE, while OBEs were awarded to Professors Richard Darton and Jeremy Thomas.

After the publication of the official list on Saturday, a spokeswoman for the University told Cherwell: “The University takes pride in having so many academics who lead their fields, and many have been recognised over the years.”

Professor Darton, a senior research fellow at Keble who set up the Univeristy’s Chemical Engineering course in 1991, said the honour for services to Engineering is “slightly overwhelming.”

“Tackling the major issues of sustainable development will require enormous efforts and creativity, not least from engineers, so we appreciate this recognition and the encouragement it brings.”

Fellow of New College and the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (NERC), Professor Jeremy Thomas said that coming to Oxford in 2007 had given his work “a further fillip”.

Thomas was “delighted” to be recognised for services to science within his area of special interest in conservation biology. In 2009 he was responsible for the restoration of the Large Blue Butterfly species to degraded landscapes across Europe.

Professor Wendy James CBE has worked on humanitarian assistance in Africa, as well as teaching in the Universities of Khartoum, Bergen and Aarhus.

Once Professor of Social Anthropology and a fellow at St Cross, Professor James said she was “elated and proud” to have been honoured for services to scholarship.

This is not her first prestigious award for academia, having already been inducted into the British Academy twelve years ago.

Professor Christopher Hood, whose research interests include the study of executive government, regulation and public-sector reform, was recognised for his services to social science.

Gladstone Professor of Government and fellow of All Souls, Professor Hood admitted to being “apprehensive” of accepting his newest title.

“What did I feel? Surprised. Flattered. A bit apprehensive. I wished my parents were still alive,” he commented. “It’s easy to get puffed up about these things and lose perspective.”

In Oxford Town Hall on Thursday evening, human rights group No One Is Illegal (NOII) held a public meeting calling for the abolition of anti-immigration laws and opening the borders of Britain.MP John McDonnell and a range of academics, trade unionists and human rights campaigners called for an end of scapegoating immigrants.

In a press release, NOII stated that “Get-tough anti-immigrant policies have backfired on Britain, by promoting values toxic to public life, and malign business interests, which undermine everybody’s welfare.’

‘The soaring human cost of EU anti-immigrant laws (15,181 deaths since 1993, brutal deportations, destitution and “new slavery” for millions) is an outrage the public is waking up to, and could turn against as dramatically as it did against slavery, apartheid and other fundamental injustices.’

At least 15,181 have died at Europe’s borders since 1993 – when the opening of Oxford’s Campsfield detention centre marked the start of what NOII calls “a bidding war between the main political parties, over who can be toughest on migrants”. 

Bob Hughes, a founding member of NOII, described why the organisation launched  the ‘open borders’ campaign.”

“This treatment of people has become normalized. People have become blind to the fact that it’s racism.

White immigrants might exceed conditions of their working visas and never turn up in immigrant prisons, for example.” 

Henry Evans, an OUCA member commented, “I am in favour of freedom of movement, but not at the expense of Britain’s economy or security, so in practice I think that the state needs to retain control over immigration.”

Lincoln Hill, OULC Chair argued “as an international student I myself am an immigrant, and I see the value of immigration to the UK and others. However, it is still legitimate that states which provide security, macroeconomic management, and the administration of justice have the option to control who comes to live and work within their borders.”

Two members of Brase nose JCR offered apologies for their personal roles in mismanaging JCR finances.

Brasenose ex-JCR President, Paul Gladwell apologised for his role in the JCR purchasing a £500 bust of him.

In a message to the JCR, he describes it as ‘‘a poor use of JCR money and not the best of ideas’’.

This message follows a JCR motion suggesting a repeal of the mandate for future JCR President busts which acknowledged that ‘‘the whole affair has been very damaging to the reputation of Brasenose’’ and claimed that it ‘‘has been unsuccessful in its original aim of improving student morale’’.

It was passed during Sunday’s JCR meeting, with the JCR President, Dan Wainwright admitting, ‘‘it was the general feeling that one was enough’’.

The current plan is to put the bust in the JCR, bar or library.

Arvind Singhal, who proposed the motion, admitted that the original motion, which had (unsuccessful) amendments to have a sculpture of the President’s manhood instead ‘‘was funny, until I found out that we actually spent £500.’

‘I love Paul Gladwell as much as the next guy, but money’s always quite tight in the JCR and I just wanted to make sure that we didn’t intend to continue buying a bust every year’’.

However, these feelings are not universal; Gregory Coates thought ‘‘the bust idea stood head and shoulders above the rest [of the JCR’s ideas to improve morale]’’ and that the motion to repeal the mandate ‘‘didn’t seem to have a leg to stand on’’.

Following Gladwell’s apology to the JCR Crispin Royle-Davies apologised for the £13,597 loss made by the Brasenose Ball this year.

The Ball President described the process as ‘‘a humbling experience for me’’, and one of which he is ‘‘certainly not proud’’.

The JCR has passed a motion agreeing to foot a £4,000 bill in contribution, and Royle-Davies stressed the need to ‘‘formalise the future liability of the JCR with the College…[and] amend the JCR Constitution to ensure appropriate JCR oversight of future Brasenose Balls’’.