No cash but bags of esteem - why they're all fighting to be Oxford's next chancellor

The role may be unpaid and largely ceremonial but it remains among the most esteemed positions in British public life.

- JABED AHMED

From Tory grandees to the odd member of the landed gentry, the list of Oxford chancellors can at times read like a who’s who of the UK’s storied past.

Some of the most famous figures in British history have occupied the role, including Oliver Cromwell and the Duke of Wellington, to more recent figures such as Harold Macmillan and the incumbent, Chris Patten.

Former Conservative leader William Hague and imprisoned exPakistan prime minister Imran Khan are among the 30 candidates to have thrown their hat in the ring for the position. If successful, Lord Hague would be the 36th William to hold the post, while if Elish Angiolini won, she would be the first woman.

Around 250,000 university staff and alumni will vote in the election next month, with Lord Patten having announced his retirement earlier this year. Here, The Independent takes a look at the frontrunners vying to become the next chancellor of the prestigious university.

William Hague

Former Conservative Party leader Lord Hague confirmed in August that he will run to become Oxford University’s next chancellor. Lord Hague attended Oxford, studying philosophy, politics and economics at Magdalen College. Following the landslide 1997 general election defeat to Tony Blair’s Labour, Lord Hague was elected leader of the Conservative Party, replacing John Major.

Peter Mandelson