UK academia has become the first casualty of links to dictator Col Gaddafi, as he and his sons struggle to preserve their lucrative hold in Libya.

The director of our London School of Economics (LSE) Sir Howard Davies, has resigned over his employer’s fawning support of Gaddafi’s son, Saif al-Islam, who gave a £1.5 million donation of dirty money to the LSE. Davies also acted as an advisor to the Gaddafi regime, and the LSE won a £2.2 million contract to train the Libyan civil service.

Another UK organisation benefitting from Libyan dirty money is publisher Pearson, of which Gaddafi and his family own 3% and which owns Penguin Books and The Financial Times.