College Vice-Chair who marched with fascists resigns

NOTE: This article was published on 31 October 2025The Vice Chair of Exeter College of Further Education has resigned from its board after being seen marching with fascists in Exeter last weekend. Patrick Tigwell, who was appointed to the Exeter College Board as a governor in 2022 and became Vice Chair two years later, was…

NOTE: This article was published on 31 October 2025
Patrick Tigwell (centre) marched with fascists in Exeter last weekend

The Vice Chair of Exeter College of Further Education has resigned from its board after being seen marching with fascists in Exeter last weekend.

Patrick Tigwell, who was appointed to the Exeter College Board as a governor in 2022 and became Vice Chair two years later, was pictured on Saturday draped in a union flag and marching with demonstrators – led by members of the fascist Britain First – chanting “Keir Starmer’s a wanker” and “Send them back”.

Some carried placards calling for “mass deportations”.

Tax strategies

Tigwell is also a partner of Westcotts, a firm of Chartered Accountants and Business Advisers with offices all over the west country, and joint manager of their Exeter branch.

He specialises in “tax strategies”.

Tigwell was identified by a local group, Exeter and Teignbridge Antifascists, who quickly published what they had seen. Education unions the NEU and UCU immediately demanded a response from Exeter college.

Yesterday Tigwell left the board – and was removed from the college website.

Diversity qualifications

Westcotts boasts of a Diversity Equality & Inclusion policy which declares that: “Alongside our core principles of Team Work, Respect, Trust & Excellent Service, Westcotts are committed to Diversity Equality & Inclusion (DEI).

“Only through a truly inclusive approach to our business can we create the firm that our teams and communities deserve”.

Speedy action

The Exeter College Board will also have had an eye to DEI policy: their own is a detailed statement which begins, “We believe that all people are of equal worth and entitled to human rights” and proceeds in similar vein.

We still await a response from Westcotts.


Paul Nowak

Paul Nowak

The essence of trade unionism is solidarity, fairness and equality – for all workers – from all backgrounds. That’s why our fight against the far-right has always been part of our movement’s DNA. Searchlight is an incredibly important resource for trade unions and members to understand the contemporary tactics of far-right activity. Their work and intelligence gathering over the years have been incredibly insightful for the work we do, and how we fight the scourge of fascism.

Paul Nowak
TUC General Secretary

Professor Colin Holmes

Professor Colin Holmes
Everyone who wants to understand contemporary racism and its historical background needs to read Searchlight.
Professor Colin Holmes
University of Sheffield

Alf Dubs

Lord Alf Dubs

Searchlight’s voice is more important than ever, and I am delighted that it will now be available to a wider audience than ever before in its new incarnation online. Searchlight has been extremely helpful over the years in exposing the far right, corruption, criminality and the murky links between organised crime and powerful interests in the UK and abroad. I wish Searchlight the very best.

Alf Dubs
Labour peer, former MP and Cabinet Minister, and Kindertransport child

Nick Davies

Nick Davies

To investigate fascists takes real courage and unusual commitment. The government, police, mainstream media occasionally take a look, but in the UK only Searchlight have kept at it, relentlessly and admirably, regardless of threat or obstacle. It’s journalism that matters. A rare thing.

Nick Davies
Multi-award-winning investigative journalist and writer

Peter Hain

Peter Hain, founder of the ANL and friend of Searchlight

British Jews have been persecuted over the centuries; British blacks since the Windrush generation of the 1950s; British Muslims, especially after the Islamist 9/11 and then 7/7 terrorist attacks in New York 2001 and London 2005. But until the last few years there has not been a simultaneous threat against all three British communities of Jewish, Black and Muslim Britons – meaning the need for Searchlight has never been greater.

Peter Hain
Labour peer, former MP and Cabinet Minster

Paul Holborow

Paul Holborow

In the campaign against the National Front, Searchlight provided a rich and utterly reliable basis for much ANL propaganda – particularly with reference to the two leading NF figures, John Tyndall and Martin Webster. The appearance of Tyndall in full nazi uniform, drawn from the archives of Searchlight, was a key part of ANL propaganda, coupled with deeply damaging nazi quotes from Webster.

Paul Holborow
Founding member of the ANL and National Organiser 1977-81

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