Green MSP Q Manivannan has lost their bid to become rector of the University of St Andrews following controversy over comments about rape. Arthur Bernhoff, a St Andrews graduate who lives locally, received the most votes and has been elected to the position.
Rector election results
Manivannan, who uses they/them pronouns, came third out of six candidates in the race. Brian Baumgartner, the actor best known for playing Kevin Malone in the US version of The Office, came second.
The university said the vote saw the “biggest response” to a rector’s election “in recent history”, with turnout at just under 45% – almost double the turnout in the last St Andrews Rectorial election in 2023.
Controversy over rape comments
Manivannan came under fire over the summer when remarks re-emerged in which they spoke about the “demonisation of rape” and claimed that rape existed on a “spectrum”. Monty Python co-founder John Cleese, a former rector of the Scottish institution, urged students not to vote for Manivannan, accusing the politician of trying to “understate the appalling psychological effects of rape”.
The Edinburgh and Lothians East MSP apologised for any hurt caused by the remarks made in a podcast last year, but said their comments had been “maliciously” edited. The Scottish Rape Crisis Alliance criticised the comments, accusing the MSP of trying to “minimise” sexual violence.
Background and next steps
Mr Bernhoff has an analytical role at the Ministry of Defence and is a deployable civilian expert for the Foreign Office. Manivannan, from India, recently announced they had been awarded a graduate visa, having been elected to the Scottish Parliament on a student visa. The graduate visa will only last until 2029, with the anthropologist, poet and politician planning on applying for a global talent visa at that point. They completed their doctorate in international relations at the University of St Andrews earlier this year.
