The UK’s first “super-university”, stretching across an entire region, is to be created through the merger of the universities of Kent and Greenwich, the BBC has learned.

Under the proposed name of London and South East University Group, the single institution will have one vice-chancellor from the academic year starting in autumn 2026.

The Office for Students, England’s higher education regulator, welcomed the move and suggested more universities may explore similar options as they battle economic challenges, with 40% of English universities now believed to be in financial deficit.

But the University and College Union told the BBC there would “almost certainly” be redundancies as a result.

UCU’s general secretary Jo Grady says that what is being described as a merger is “a takeover by Greenwich” as Kent was on “the brink of insolvency”.

“I also think this is a broader problem for the sector. Both of these institutions should have been on the government’s radar, and rather than stepping in, we’re seeing that this is how a crisis is managed. This isn’t offering stability to students, to staff or to the sector”, Ms Grady added.

The Department for Education (DfE) said ministers “welcome innovative approaches such as this one”.

This is the first merger of its scale in the UK with the total number of students in the new institution reaching almost 50,000. Smaller mergers like the amalgamation of three colleges within the University of the Highlands and Islands network have happened previously.

The new university will operate across the existing campuses, including in Medway, where students from both Greenwich and Kent already share facilities, including the library.

Kent has one other campus, in Canterbury, about 30 miles (48km) from Medway.

Greenwich has two other campuses, one on the banks of the River Thames in Greenwich itself about 28 miles (45km) from Medway, and the other in Avery Hill, south-east London, about 24 miles (38km) from Medway.

The universities said the combined institution will provide a strong financial foundation to weather the economic challenges facing universities now and in the future.

Speaking exclusively to the BBC, the vice-chancellors of both universities insisted the move was not a takeover, nor driven by a financial crisis for either, although they argued the new university model would be “resilient and financially viable”.

Prof Georgina Randsley de Moura will remain the interim leader of Kent until the merger, when Prof Jane Harrington, who runs Greenwich, will become the vice-chancellor of the new institution.

Prof Randsley de Moura said the “trailblazing model” would enable the universities within the new group to retain their name, identity and campuses.

Prof Harrington said the universities had worked together on the Medway campus for 20 years and now wanted to go further to contribute to the economy across London and the South East.

“This is about taking the best of both universities and saying what do we want to offer to our communities,” she said.

For students, there will be no visible change, with applications continuing as normal to each institution and degrees awarded in the name of Kent or Greenwich.

Prof Harrington said she could tell students “absolutely categorically” they could complete any course they are already enrolled on, including those starting university this autumn.

The universities said there are no immediate plans for job losses, but both have had to make recent cuts.

After hearing the news, some staff in Canterbury this morning told the BBC that it felt “very last minute” and they were concerned for jobs.

Researcher Jack Davis said it was a bit too early to know exactly what it means in terms of restructuring but he could see the benefits of collaborating.

“If other institutions have other bits of kit, it might mean we’re able to foster relations and maybe do experiments there too”, he said.

In May, Greenwich confirmed it was cutting the equivalent of 15 full-time posts by August.

Kent has already started winding down some courses to reduce costs as it posted a deficit for another year in 2024.

The planned merger is likely to provoke anxiety about long-term prospects among staff.

Prof Harrington said she recognised there would be concern about posts, and said they would be saving costs by reducing senior roles.

Across England, job losses at many institutions over the last couple of years have been adding up, with the University and College Union (UCU) estimating the overall number of posts cut is about 5,000.

Mergers, once rare, have become more common, with City St George’s created from two separate parts of the University of London last year.

Most others have involved smaller or specialist institutions.

The plans unveiled on Wednesday are on a bigger scale, with two universities offering a full range of courses and spread over a wider geographical area.

The merger will be watched with interest by other universities looking at ways to collaborate to stabilise their finances.

Tuition fees have increased to £9,535 this academic year, but the real value to universities has fallen because of rising costs since the big uplift 13 years ago increased fees from just over £3,000 to £9,000 a year.

In the last academic year, the number of applications from international students, who pay higher fees, was 16% lower than universities had hoped.

It followed visa restrictions introduced in 2024 which prevented international students bringing family members.

Vivienne Stern, from Universities UK, said the merger was significant, and a sign of how universities were thinking differently.

She said the “slow erosion” of university finances needed to be stopped and the government “was needed on the pitch pretty fast” with longer-term solutions.

Those government plans for the future funding of universities in England are expected later this autumn.

Ministers have already said they are looking at applying a 6% tax on income from international students.

A DfE spokesperson said: “This collaboration shows how strong partnerships in higher education can help enable delivery of world-class teaching and research whilst maintaining the best interests of students.”

Any change on this scale has to be overseen by the OfS, which regulates universities in England, and makes sure students’ studies are not disrupted.

“In any merger, effective communication with students will be crucial,” a spokesperson said.

“Current students will continue to study for the courses they signed up for, and should continue to expect excellent teaching and support.”

The UK’s ambassador to the US, Peter Mandelson, has said he believes further “embarrassing” correspondence between himself and convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein will be published.

On Tuesday, US lawmakers released a number of documents which included a letter from Lord Mandelson in which he called Epstein his “best pal”.

Speaking to the YouTube channel Harry Cole Saves the West, the diplomat said it was “very embarrassing” to see the words published but added they were written “over 20 years ago”.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said Lord Mandelson was “mired in scandal,” raising questions over Sir Keir Starmer’s “bad judgement”.

In his interview, Lord Mandelson said he felt “a tremendous sense of regret” over his friendship with Epstein, and a “tremendous sense of sympathy” for his victims.

He likened his association with Epstein to “an albatross around my neck”, adding he felt “profoundly upset that I was taken in” by a “charismatic criminal liar”.

“I regret very, very deeply indeed carrying on that association with him for far longer than I should have done.”

During Prime Minister’s Questions, Badenoch asked Sir Keir whether he was aware of Lord Mandelson’s “intimate relationship” with Epstein when the prime minister appointed him US ambassador last year.

She also called for vetting documents ahead of his appointment to be made public, and for the prime minister to force Lord Mandelson to disclose all his correspondence with Epstein.

“With this government it is more strikes, more scandal, more chaos,” she added.

“Isn’t the link that between all of this his bad decisions, his bad judgement, and his total weakness?”

The prime minister did not detail what exactly he knew about Lord Mandelson’s links to Epstein prior to appointing him, but said he retained confidence in him and he was “playing an important role” in UK-US relations.

He added that the ambassador had “repeatedly expressed his deep regret” for his association with Epstein, and had been “right to do so”.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey pressed Sir Keir on whether he had asked Lord Mandelson “what other compromising material the Trump administration might have on him, as he leads Britain’s negotiations with the White House”.

In reply, the prime minister said that “full due process” was undertaken prior to Lord Mandelson’s appointment.

Lord Mandelson is highly rated in Downing Street because of his ability to work with the Trump administration.

But his past relationship is awkward for the prime minister. A key question will be over Lord Mandelson’s judgement – remaining friends with Epstein after it first emerged he had been investigated.

The difficult questions for the government are likely to continue if, as Lord Mandelson suggests, there are more details to come.

Epstein had been a well-connected financier who was convicted in Florida for soliciting prostitution from a person under the age of 18 in 2008. He died in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

Lord Mandelson said he did not believe he was “named in the Epstein files” – the term that has been given to documents gathered during criminal investigations into Epstein.

However, he said he had no doubt there had been “a lot of traffic, correspondence, exchanges” between himself and Epstein.

“We know they’re going to surface, we know they’re going to come out, they’re going to be embarrassing,” he added.

Asked why he continued his friendship with Epstein, Lord Mandelson said he “fell for his lies”.

“I accepted assurances he had given me about his original indictment, his original criminal case in Florida. Like very many people I took at face value what he said.”

He said he never saw wrongdoing at any point while with Epstein and he “never sought, nor did [Epstein] offer introductions to women in the way that he did to others, perhaps it is because I am a gay man”.

He said he couldn’t “rewrite history” adding: “What I can do, what I can do is express my profound sympathy for those who were badly treated by him.”

Asked if he had ever done business deals with Epstein, Lord Mandelson said: “He operated in a financial and business way, way above my level.

“Yes, he was always saying: ‘Would you like to see so and so, I’ve got this friend, I’m having this dinner. Would you like to come?’

“He was a prolific social networker and a political networker.”

Lord Mandelson has been in and out of British politics for four decades. He was instrumental in the New Labour project which saw Tony Blair win the 1997 election with a huge landslide.

He was a minister in different departments in the government until 2010, when Labour lost power and during that time earned a reputation for bouncing back after twice being forced to resign his ministerial positions.

Mandelson’s connection with Epstein had previously been made public. In 2019 an internal report by the bank JP Morgan said Epstein kept “a particularly close relationship with Prince Andrew, the Duke of York and Lord Peter Mandelson, a senior member of the British government”.

The messages from Mandelson was one of a number of documents in an alleged “birthday book” given to Epstein in 2003 to celebrate his 50th birthday.

Mandelson’s contribution included a series of short messages each accompanied by a photograph.

In one photo of a yellow parachute in the air, he wrote: “Once upon a time, an intelligent, sharp-witted man they call ‘mysterious’ parachuted into my life.”

“You would spend many hours just waiting for him to turn up,” he said, alongside a picture of what appears to be Lord Mandelson looking out at a garden from a balcony.

“And often, no sooner were you getting used to having him around, you would suddenly be alone… again,” he added above a picture of a lone person canoeing in the sea at sunset.

“Leaving you with some ‘interesting’ friends to entertain instead,” he writes on the next page, with a photo of Lord Mandelson preparing a dining table with two women whose faces have been obscured.

Lord Mandelson goes on to write that Epstein was known for “taking you by surprise… in one of his glorious homes he likes to share with his friends (yum yum)”, alongside a single malt whiskey label and a picture of a tropical island.

On the next page, accompanied by a picture of the two chatting casually on a patio, he writes: “But whenever he is in the world, he remains my best pal!”

The book also contained messages, cards and photos sent by Epstein’s friends, including a letter carrying a signature resembling US President Donald Trump. Trump has denied writing the note.

Strictly Come Dancing contestant Thomas Skinner has apologised for picking up a journalist’s phone before he walked out of press interviews for the new series on Tuesday.

The former Apprentice star and social media personality left the event while talking to a group of journalists to promote the show ahead of its return later this month.

On Wednesday, he explained that he had seen a message about “a personal story from my past” on a reporter’s phone, which “caught me off guard”. He added: “I felt it was best to step away and gather myself.”

Skinner, who is seen by some as a controversial choice for the show, also made clear that he is staying on the line-up, stressing that he “can’t wait to give it my all on that dancefloor”.

He wrote on social media that he wanted “to set the record straight off the back of yesterday”.

“During one of the interviews, a journalist placed their phone on the table to record the conversation,” he said. “I happened to catch a glimpse of the screen and saw numerous messages – not about Strictly, but about a personal story from my past.

“I’ve been through some difficult times in my life, which I’ve worked hard to move on from. In that moment, seeing it there caught me off guard. I felt it was best to step away and gather myself.

“This had nothing to do with the interviews or Strictly itself. I’m sorry I picked up someone else’s phone and I don’t even know if the journalist realised their messages were visible, and I don’t want to suggest any bad intentions on their part.

“What I do want to say is how excited I am to be part of Strictly this year. I’m so grateful for all the love, kindness and support I’ve been shown so far. It means the world to me, and I can’t wait to give it my all on that dancefloor.”

Skinner and other Strictly contestants were taking part in a series of roundtable interviews, where celebrities meet groups of journalists for a few minutes at a time, in a style similar to speed-dating, to take questions.

He made a quick exit before the session had ended, and before he had completed the full press circuit.

Skinner first hit TV screens on The Apprentice in 2019, and has since appeared on shows including 8 Out of 10 Cats, The Wheel, Michael McIntyre’s Big Show, Good Morning Britain and Faking It, as well as Celebrity Masterchef.

He is also known for his social media videos which encourage people to think positively, runs a number of small businesses, including a gym, and is a regular on TalkSport Radio.

He has become a somewhat divisive figure, however – his motivational videos have attracted hundreds of thousands of followers, but he has also been criticised in recent months.

Some have taken issue with Skinner’s social media posts including one with a photo of himself meeting US Vice President JD Vance this summer, and another of him wearing a Make America Great Again cap.

But many of Skinner’s fans praise him for what he describes as “standing up for traditional, hard-working, family values”, his patriotism, and his campaigning on issues such as knife crime.

In response to the criticism, Skinner told the Daily Mail last month: “I’m not right-wing. People are like sheep and just started saying it because I got invited to go to BBQ with JD Vance and I posted a picture with him.

“Who is gonna turn down an opportunity to meet the second most powerful man in the world?”

Earlier on Tuesday, BBC director general Tim Davie defended the decision to cast Skinner in Strictly, which starts later this month.

Speaking to MPs on the House of Commons culture, media and sport select committee, Mr Davie said: “That was not my decision, that was the production team looking for those people… who want to do Strictly, and those people they thought would be interesting to the audience.”

Mr Davie added: “Clearly, we wouldn’t take anyone whose views are just beyond the pale, or we would see as completely unacceptable or not suitable, racist views, all those things, we wouldn’t accept them.

“But that’s not the case here, from what I know. I’m not an expert on the individual, per se.”