Bristol’s professor Miller received £400K in taxpayer’s cash for research grants
Academic who is being investigated over comments made about Jewish students was given funding from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)
Lee Harpin is the Jewish News's political editor
Bristol University professor David Miller – currently under investigation over comments made about Jewish students – received £400, 000 of taxpayer’s money in grants to fund his research, a new report has revealed.
According to details published by New Statesman, the sociology lecturer received £401,552 from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) – a government body that supports academic research and associated ventures between 2013-2016.
During this time Miller released research that accused “lobby groups” for Israel of coercing MPs into taking positions that favoured the Jewish state – and also published his now infamous map linked pro-Zionist organisation with the major political parties in the UK.
In 2015, Miller also had research published by openDemocracy which linked the “Zionist movement” to “five pillars of Islamophobia.”
During the three year period he received the funding Miller had published papers including one called The Israel Lobby and the European Union in 2016.
He also continued to use material from the research in his lectures after these dates, even though he faced allegations that some of the papers were out of date.
At a February 2021 conference organised by the Labour Against The Witch-hunt group Miller had suggested those who were members of Bristol’s Jewish Society were “formally members of the Zionist movement”.
He has also called for the “end” of Zionism.
Approached by New Statesman to comment on the award of over £400,000 to fund Miller’s research, the UKRI declined to comment.
The academic was put under investigation by Bristol University over 100 days ago, following comments including the claim the “Zionist movement” was “the enemy of world peace.”
He also claimed that Jewish society members at the universities were “pawns” of the Israeli state.
New Statesman said Miller failed to respond to requests for comment over the £400, 000 of funding he received from UKRI.
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