A columnist has explained why he is debating nominating J.K Rowling for the next Oxford University chancellorship so he can "bring a legal case against Oxford for discrimination."

Chris Patten, Lord Patten of Barnes, announced his intentions to retire from the role in February.

The former Conservative party chairman has held the position since March 2003.

The process of electing a new chancellor by members of the University's convocation - which is about 350,000 people - will be held online for the first time.

According to Oxford University, the role of chancellor is the ceremonial head of the university, who is “usually an eminent public figure elected for life” and “presides over all major ceremonies”.

However, the controversial Spectator columnist Toby Young has now chimed in after reports of a "self-appointed group of guardians" involved in the process.

Mr Young said: "The chatter has increased exponentially in the past couple of weeks thanks to some eye-opening shenanigans by the university authorities.

"The first bombshell took the form of an announcement in the Oxford University Gazette that a committee had been set up to vet the candidates and, among other things, it promised to have ‘due regard to equality and diversity’.

"Just as we were recovering from that marmalade-dropper came another thunderbolt: anyone who is a member of a legislature or ‘active in politics’ would also be excluded. 

"The existence of this committee and its high-handed stipulations has provoked outrage. For the past 300 years, any candidate could put themselves forward if they’d been nominated by 50 graduates of the university.

"Now, they’ll only be allowed to stand if they pass muster with this self-appointed group of guardians.

"If that is what the committee has in mind, there’s a risk it may be unlawful since it’s a breach of the Equality Act to discriminate against prospective employees because they don’t hold particular beliefs."

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Mr Young then explained how he and his friends are considering nominating J.K Rowling.

The author and gender-critical activist hit headlines recently for opposing the Scottish government’s contentious hate crime law.

Mr Young continued: "My friends and I are thinking of nominating J.K. Rowling on the assumption that she will fail the ‘equality and diversity’ test because of her insistence on ‘misgendering’ trans women. We can then bring a legal case against Oxford for discrimination."

To get into Oxford, Mr Young needed, by his own admission, two Bs and a C at A-level, plus a phone call from his dad - Baron Young of Dartington. A pioneering sociologist who coined the word “meritocracy”.