An author is making a cheeky bid to take the top job at Oxford University from under the nose of former US president Bill Clinton.

Controversial Brighton philosopher Andrew Malcolm says he can land the highly-prized post of chancellor with the help of Oxford graduates in Sussex.

Mr Malcolm, of London Road, Brighton, admits many people will see his bid as a joke, given his history of feuds and legal battles with the university.

Yet he insists his candidacy is a real attempt to shake up an old institution that has fallen into decline.

He hopes his manifesto will attract the support of at least 50 graduates, the number he needs to stand for one of the most prestigious academic posts in the world.

In his manifesto, the former Cambridge student describes himself as a "long-time adversary" of Oxford but says he only wants to help the university get back to its rightful place at the top of the academic tree.

Mr Malcolm, 54, has been involved in a six-year feud with Oxford University Press after it declined to publish his first book, Making Names.

He took the firm to court for breach of contract and an out-of-court settlement was reached.

His recent book, The Remedy, names names and quotes courtroom testimony from his legal battle.

Mr Malcolm said he wanted to stand "not in a spirit of mischief or irony but as a genuine and serious attempt to resolve some of the university's present grave problems".

Top names linked with the post include Bill Clinton, whose daughter Chelsea is studying at Oxford, former governor of Hong Kong Chris Patten, Lord of the Rings actor Ian McKellen, former Irish president Mary Robinson and former drugs smuggler Howard Marks, who has a house in Brighton.

The vacancy was caused by the death of Lord Jenkins of Hillhead last month, who had held the position since the Eighties.

Mr Malcolm said: "The university has a lot of problems, with declining standards and a fading reputation. This is a serious attempt at setting things straight.

"I shall stand as a reforming chancellor, able to solve their problems."

He wants Oxford graduates in Sussex to get in touch to lend their support.

He said: "It would mean a Brighton man could have his hand on the tiller of the country's top university and would give me the chance to try to rescue the great Alma Mater from further decline and disrepute."

Graduates can contact him at akme@btinternet.com Voting takes place on March 14 and 15.