University College London apologises for role in promoting eugenics

Links to early eugenicists such as Francis Galton a source of deep regret' to institution

University College London has expressed deep regret" for its role in the propagation of eugenics, alongside a promise to improve conditions for disabled staff and students and a pledge to give greater prominence" to teaching the malign legacy of the discredited movement.

The formal apology for legitimising eugenics - the advocacy of selective breeding of the population often to further racist or discriminatory aims - is UCL's latest effort to address its links to early eugenicists such as Francis Galton, who funded a professorship in eugenics at the university.