The Vice Chair of Exeter College of Further Education has been dumped from its board after being seen marching with fascists in Exeter last weekend.
Patrick Tigwell, who was appointed to the Exeter College Board as a governor in 2022 and became Vice Chair two years later, was pictured on Saturday draped in a union flag and marching with demonstrators – led by members of the fascist Britain First – chanting “Keir Starmer’s a wanker” and “Send them back”.
Some carried placards calling for “mass deportations”.
Tax strategies
Tigwell is also a partner of Westcotts, a firm of Chartered Accountants and Business Advisers with offices all over the west country, and joint manager of their Exeter branch.
He specialises in “tax strategies”.
Tigwell was identified by a local group, Exeter and Teignbridge Antifascists, who quickly published what they had seen. Education unions the NEU and UCU immediately demanded a response from Exeter college.
Yesterday Tigwell was removed from the board – and from the college website.
Diversity qualifications
Westcotts boasts of a Diversity Equality & Inclusion policy which declares that: “Alongside our core principles of Team Work, Respect, Trust & Excellent Service, Westcotts are committed to Diversity Equality & Inclusion (DEI).
“Only through a truly inclusive approach to our business can we create the firm that our teams and communities deserve”.
Speedy action
The Exeter College Board will also have had an eye to DEI policy: their own is a detailed statement which begins, “We believe that all people are of equal worth and entitled to human rights” and proceeds in similar vein.
Exeter College has acted speedily – we still await a response from Westcotts.
