Courtesy of the Cambridge Revolutionary Communist Party
The Cambridge Student understands a group of students from the Cambridge branch of the Revolutionary Communist Party (RCP) interrupted Prof. James Orr's lecture on Friday afternoon (30/10), disrupting the A9 Ethics class that Orr lectures for in protest of his remaining in position as Associate Professor of Philosophy of Religion. This follows revelations leading to his resignation as senior advisor to Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, and Head of Policy for the party, in September of this year.
In footage shared with The Cambridge Student, protesters told Orr that "you are responsible for the rise of fascism in this country", that "you are only here and employed at this university because of a five-figure Palantir donation," and that "you bring your far right ideology into this classroom and teach it to the undergrads. You take them to your house […] and give them room and board."
James Orr speaking at AmericaFest 2025 (Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)
Professor Orr resigned from his roles at Reform UK in September after a joint Verbatim/Channel 4 investigation, where he was filmed discussing ways to circumvent Electoral Commission guidelines on foreign donations with journalists undercover as American donors, potentially breaching electoral law. Orr was also filmed commissioning the undercover journalists to pay for three rounds of independent polling ahead of the May local elections with the aim of galvanising support for Reform.
He did not respond to the report, but is understood to have denied all allegations. It is not clear whether the University has opened an investigation into Orr, but is believed to be assessing its next steps, per the Guardian.
Last week, the Financial Times revealed that Orr has stepped down from two of his managerial posts in the Faculty of Divinity; as chair of the Faculty of Divinity’s undergraduate exam board and as the course convenor for the Philosophy of Religion MPhil program. The reason for this is not clear, but the FT suggests that Orr had initiated a discussion with the Divinity Faculty about his responsibilities in light “of recent media scrutiny”.
The protesters referenced investigations conducted by the Byline Times, who reported in July 2026 that the appointment of Professor Orr to his position as Associate Professor in the Faculty of Divinity in 2019 coincided with a five-figure donation made to the University by Thiel Capital in January of that year, a venture capital firm founded by Palantir co-founder Peter Thiel. The University's investigation into the appointment, conducted by internal auditor Deloitte, found no evidence of bribery.
Byline Times have also reported that Professor Orr houses postgraduate students at his home in Cambridge, as referenced in the video. According to reports, both Orr and the University have stated that this does not constitute breaching of the university’s rules.