The visit was hosted by the University’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Robert Allison, who introduced Boris Johnson to some prospective students, ambassadors and members of the Loughborough Students’ Union Executive team.

The PM was then able to observe some hockey and rugby training sessions before meeting academics from the University’s National Centre for Sport and Exercise Medicine (NCSEM). Here Professors Mark Lewis and Mark King were able to showcase the centre’s research into cricket bowling – work that is in partnership with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) – and discuss how the University has supported the national Covid-19 response.

A key reason for supporting the visit was to enable the Vice-Chancellor to discuss with the Prime Minister some of the issues currently affecting the higher education sector. Professor Allison raised his concerns about tuition fees, widening participation, the importance of sustainable research funding and mitigating the impact of Brexit, amongst other things.

Speaking about the visit, Professor Allison said: “I was pleased to be able to show the Prime Minister the incredible research that takes place here. It also provided me with an opportunity to remind those in Government how policy impacts on us here at Loughborough.”