“[Cambridge] has strayed from the point of academic excellence being the absolute criterion for everything.” The controversy surrounding Jason Arday is “absolutely absurd” and “completely uncalled for”, says leader writer and former foreign correspondent for The Times Michael Binyon. Michael Binyon and Alys Denby were speaking to Ed Vaizey (in for Hugo Rifkind) on Times Radio. Listen live every Monday to Thursday, 10am-1pm. Read the best of our journalism: https://www.thetimes.com/ Listen live to Times Radio: https://www.thetimes.com/radio/live Subscribe to The Times and The Sunday Times YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=timesonlinevideo Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/timesandsundaytimes/ Find us on X: https://x.com/thetimes Find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetimes/