Updated: Glasgow president resigns amid email scandal

The beleaguered head of Glasgow University Students' Representative Council today resigned amid a storm of controversy over his relationship with senior university officials.

SRC president Stuart Ritchie had been due to face an open meeting of Glasgow students this evening, but resigned after the GUSRC executive joined campus campaigners in calling for him to stand down. A petition seeking his ouster had previously gathered over 500 signatures in just three days.

In an open letter to Glasgow students, three GUSRC vice-presidents — James Harrison, Amy Johnson and Iain Smith — confirmed that they had asked Mr Ritchie to step down, saying that it "became apparent today that Stuart's position had become untenable".

They went on to state that "the responsibilities which normally fall to the GUSRC president are to be shared amongst the remaining Executive members."

It is unclear as yet whether this arrangement is seen as a long-term solution, or if a by-election for the presidency will be held.

A statement from the Glasgow Coalition of Resistance, which led the campaign for a vote of no-confidence in Mr Ritchie, welcomed his departure and said that the group would "continue to campaign for greater democratic accountability on campus, and for student representatives to fight university fees, cuts to courses and reductions in student services."

Emails obtained last month by student magazine qmunicate suggested an uncomfortably close relationship between Mr Ritchie and university senior management, including communications chief Susan Stewart. 

The correspondence, released under freedom of information laws, suggested Mr Ritchie lobbied the university's Senior Management Group to implement Rest-of-UK fees of £9,000 per year with a fee waiver for one of the four years (a so-called '3x9' arrangement). The university eventually announced in September that they would charge £6,750 for all four years.

Mr Ritchie had on Monday insisted he would not resign, telling The Journal that he had been the victim of an "agenda" and accusing NUS Scotland and anti-cuts campaigners of conspiring against him.