The historian John Charmley has been appointed as pro vice-chancellor of St Mary’s, joining Francis Campbell and Ruth Kelly on the university’s senior team.

The new appointment comes as St Mary’s aims to strengthen its Catholic identity and research credentials. A new research centre, the Benedict XVI Centre, opened earlier this year, with the goal of bringing the Catholic tradition into dialogue with contemporary social and political questions.

Professor Charmley, a specialist on Winston Churchill, previously taught at the University of East Anglia for 37 years and had taken several senior positions at the university.