Boris Johnson’s Tory leadership campaign manager has been named as the government’s preferred candidate to take up a leading role in an independent watchdog charged with regulating universities. The education secretary, Gavin Williamson, said James Wharton, a former Tory MP who ran Johnson’s 2019 campaign to succeed Theresa May as party leader, would bring “strategic direction” to the post of chair of the Office for Students (OfS). But Labour questioned Lord Wharton’s qualifications for the role, which he can take up after his nomination is confirmed by the education select committee and he is appointed by the OfS board. The solicitor and former MP for Stockton South, who was given a peerage by Johnson in August, served as minister for the northern powerhouse and in a junior ministerial role in the Department for International Development before losing his seat in the 2017 election. He was chairman of the lobbying firm Hume Brophy UK Communications up until last month. However, there appears to be little in his CV that lends itself specifically to the post at the independent regulator of higher education in England. The organisation also describes its role as championing equality and diversity. Wharton is a graduate of Durham University where he read politics and law. He was the race awareness officer in the student union and and was president of the university’s Conservative association. Kate Green, the shadow education secretary, said: “Nothing in James Wharton’s background appears to suggest he has the suitability or experience for this role.” The Department for Education said Wharton had been selected following a rigorous assessment process conducted in accordance with the governance code for public appointments. Williamson said : “He will play a vital part in ensuring students from all backgrounds are at the heart of the higher education system, receiving a high-quality education and value for money from our universities.” Sir Michael Barber, whose term as chair of the OfS will come to an end on 31 March, said he was looking forward to helping his successor prepare for the role. Following a pre-appointment hearing, the education select committee will publish its recommendations, which the education secretary will consider before deciding whether to finalise the appointment. Previously, the government spent two years and £40,000 of taxpayers’ money trying to hide how little Wharton had visited the north of England in his role as northern powerhouse minister, in what one prominent northern figure called “a blatant disregard for the principles of democratic accountability”.