OXFORD University has said it 'strongly disapproves' of the decision by a student society to disinvite former Conservative Home Secretary Amber Rudd from giving a talk.

The event called 'In Conversation: Amber Rudd', was organised by UNWomen Oxford and was due to take place at 7.30pm on Thursday as part of their UN Women’s 2020 Trailblazer Series.

But after receiving heavy criticism for inviting her due to her links with the Windrush scandal, the society said in a statement at 6.30pm on its Facebook page that the talk was cancelled after a majority committee vote.

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Ms Rudd was supposed to be interviewed about her role as Minister for Women and Equalities and speak about encouraging women to get into politics.

A statement from the University said it was 'strongly committed' to freedom of speech and opposed no-platforming, adding: "We encourage our students to debate and engage with a range of views, and to treat others with the courtesy and dignity that they would expect themselves.

"We will be making the University’s position and feelings very clear to the event organisers and taking necessary steps to ensure that this cannot be repeated."

Ms Rudd tweeted how she felt about the decision on Friday saying students should 'stop hiding' and her daughter Flora Gill, who attended Oxford University, tweeted the move was 'not how women should treat each other'.

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Speaking on BBC radio four's Today programme on Saturday, Lord Ken Macdonald, warden of Wadham College, said the society was free to invite and disinvite who it liked but said: "It seems that some voices in the University amongst the student body felt that was an event that shouldn't take place and a conversation that shouldn't occur and I think that's what's troubling."

He added: "It's really important for all students to understand that they don't come to university to retreat from the world but to learn to engage with it more profoundly and this really can't be achieved without the freest exchange of ideas."

He described that as 'driving the life' of the University, saying: "People have to understand they can't expect at university never to be offended, never to be challenged."