Breaking Prior ties

Anglia Polytechnic University is increasingly desperate to shake off its origins, inconveniently celebrated in its name.

An attempt to rename itself the University of Eastern England received short shrift from the Privy Council in 1998, following objections from the neighbours - the University of East Anglia. The latest proposal is Anglia Prior University, named after former Conservative secretary of state and Tory party vice-chairman, Lord Prior.

Lord Prior is a Cambridge graduate who was APU's first chancellor. He has "graciously consented" to the use of his name, said marketing director Roy Newson.