The 2025 University of Cambridge election for the position of Chancellor became necessary upon the resignation of the incumbent, David Sainsbury, Baron Sainsbury of Turville.
Nominations for the role closed on 2 May 2025. The term for the new Chancellor will be ten years; previous occupants of the role were appointed for life. Previous holders of the role include Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha; Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh; former Prime Ministers Stanley Baldwin, Arthur Balfour and Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton; and Nobel Laureates Edgar Adrian, 1st Baron Adrian and John Strutt, 3rd Baron Rayleigh.
Electorate and voting.
The 2011 election for Chancellorship was the first time the post had been contested since 1950, and the first actively fought contest since 1847.
The electorate consists of the Senate: all members of the University holding a higher degree from Cambridge. In effect, every Cambridge graduate holding a degree other than a bachelor's degree (save the BD) has a vote. In addition, all members of the Regent House are also entitled to vote as they are automatically members of the Senate, even if they have no previous Cambridge degree; this includes most post-doctoral research staff who are also members of a faculty, and fellows of the colleges who do not hold a Cambridge degree.
Voting will take place in person at the Senate House in Cambridge on 12 and 16 July 2025 and online between 9 and 18 July. Members of the Senate who wish to vote in person will need to wear a gown. Civica Election Services are supporting the voting process. Votes will be counted using the Single Transferable Vote system, with voters ranking as many of the candidates as they choose.
Candidates.
All candidates required 50 nominations by 2 May. Confirmed candidates were annouced by the University on 28 May, listed below in alphabetical order:
In the period after nominations had formally opened, there was press speculation that a number of candidates could run, including Michael Portillo, James O'Shaughnessy, Baron O'Shaughnessy and broadcaster Emily Maitlis; but they all declined to run, with Maitlis instead publicly backing Mohamed El-Erian.
The "Times Higher Education" reported that there was no obvious front-runner in the contest, and noted that a number of Cambridge academics had expressed concerns about a television personality such as Sandi Toksvig taking the role previously held by Prime Ministers and Nobel Laureates. It also reported that the other woman in the field – Gina Miller – has been tipped by some to win, partly on account of the goodwill among largely Remain-supporting Cambridge alumni over her high-profile campaign in 2019 to prevent Brexit.