Thursday March 26th 2026
Edinburgh University's newly re-opened debating hall at Teviot Row House
Written by Midlothian View Reporter, Liam Eunson
Described as eagerly anticipated, the head of University and College Union Scotland (UCU) will go head-to-head with Edinburgh Universities Principal and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sir Peter Mathieson, in a debate to discuss the ‘lost purpose’ of higher education.
This stand-off comes at a crucial time in the on-going dispute between UCU and Edinburgh University which has lead to long-running industrial action from the union after Mathieson announced in march 2025 that the University will be making £140 million in cuts, leading to 1,800 job losses.
The dispute is till on-going with UCU planning further strikes next week.
Hosted by the Edinburgh Union, the debate will be the last of the year and will take place in the newly re-opened Teviot Row House’s debating hall.
The debate will discuss the timely motion; This House Believes Universities Have Lost Their True Purpose, which is sure to cause a detailed conversation between the University Principal and the union fighting to preserve jobs at the institute.
Taking place on Monday March 30, at 7pm, this is the same day as one of the UCU Edinburgh strike, alongside a rally planned for the following Wednesday.
The Union have assembled a panel of academic and political figures to assess the state of higher education for what will be ‘one of the most important student-led events in Scotland this year.
In an ‘exceptional opportunity’ for the university community and public, Professor Mathieson will take the debate floor to engage with Chris O’Donnell, Chair of the University and College Union Scotland.
This will allow participants to witness a rare open debate between university management and trade union leadership on the future of the academic sector.
Alongside these, the Edinburgh Union will be welcoming Baroness Natalie Bennett, the former Leader of the Green Party of England and Wales between 2012 and 2016, and Lord Chris Smith, former UK Secretary of State for Culture, Media, and Sport, and current Chancellor of Cambridge University. Both have been key voices in the discussion surrounding the reform of higher education across the United Kingdom, at a time of mounting uncertainty with Cambridge having discussed the potential closure of its Vet School and universities such as Dundee sharing that insolvency is “a real possibility”.
These nationwide challenges are mirrored in Edinburgh, where the University is proposing the large budget cuts, and the ‘ongoing wrangling between UCU and management over pay and working conditions which has resulted in next weeks strike action.
President of the Edinburgh Union, Finn Tyson, explained:
“This debate is a landmark for the Edinburgh Union. Securing a public exchange between the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Edinburgh and the Chair of the UCU is a rare occurrence, allowing for the kind of open dialogue this Union was founded to facilitate.
“To have national figures like Lord Chris Smith and Baroness Natalie Bennett joining the panel elevates this from a local discussion to one scrutinising British higher education as a whole.
“Concluding the year with a panel of this calibre, especially as we welcome students back to Teviot, is a milestone for the Union.”
This debate marks a new era for discourse in Edinburgh, rounding off the Union’s inaugural year, whilst simultaneously being the first public debate in Teviot Row House since reopening.
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