OXFORD University has paid a £20,000 consultancy fee to a women's rights group accused of being 'anti-transgender', making the university the biggest single financial supporter of the group.

The money was paid to Woman's Place UK earlier this year for its 'support research into women’s sex based rights' as part of a new research programme announced in September.

The group has been the subject of much controversy over its views on transgender rights and was recently branded as a 'trans-exclusionary hate group' by the Labour Campaign for Trans Rights.

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A statement on Woman's Place UK website read: "We received a consultancy fee of £20,000 from Oxford University to support research into women’s sex based rights as part of the Women and Equalities Law: Historical Perspectives project which was funded by Strategic Priority QR funding allocated to Oxford University.

"The funding from Oxford University went towards the costs of the Women’s Liberation 2020 conference and in support of The Political Erasure of Sex research project."

History professor Selina Todd, who has previously been criticised by Oxford SU's LGBTQ+ campaign for holding 'anti-trans' views and supporting Woman's Place UK, is leading the project consulted on by the controversial group.

The academic was also disinvited from the Oxford International Women’s Festival in March because of her views regarding gender identity.

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Prof Todd came under fire in March when she joined other speakers at the 'Defend me or expel me' event in London organised by Labour Women's Declaration supporters.

The historian was one of nine headliners at the rally who spoke against Labour's trans rights pledges.

The event followed persistent backlash from the cancellation of Prof Todd's talk at an Oxford feminist festival held at Exeter College.

She was uninvited from the event after trans-inclusive feminists, who pulled out from the event, pointed out her ties with the allegedly 'transphobic' group Woman’s Place UK.

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Together with LGB Alliance, Woman's Place UK was specifically named as 'trans-exclusionist' by Labour Campaign for Trans Rights.

However, Woman’s Place UK has consistently refuted claims it is transphobic.

Co-founder of the group, Kiri Tunks, previously commented on such claims: "Woman’s Place UK was established to ensure women’s voices are heard and their rights are upheld.

"We are not a transphobic organisation and do not accept that rights for trans people must be at the expense of women’s hard-won rights."

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