OK. Will you be publishing papers from your thesis? You could offer the first supervisor co-authorship on any outputs from the thesis, and acknowledgement in the thesis. This would seem a fair suggestion given that she has been your supervisor all this time. But your day to day dealings would be with the new advisor. Could this work?

Hi, classictea,

Happy to know you are 98% done on your thesis. That is exceptionally good.

Primary supervisor: Ok, so I don't know about the supervision laws in your country. However, my understanding is that my choice of supervisors are my rights as it is my PhD project. Can you insist to have the consenting other potential supervisor on board somehow? Beg for the new one to come on board.

Reference: If you can get the new supervisor on board, you can get him to write you your reference letter. Otherwise, I really won't count on your aweful ex-supervisor to write. While not ideal, I managed to get my first job without my supervisor's letter, so perhaps you could too.

Papers - You will have to include your ex-supervisor in there and submit the paper. However, if she causes issues, submit without her. My friend did this as his primary supervisor was blocking his paper on unreasonable and untrue grounds. His paper was accepted in the end.

Your uni can be unhappy about you asking another person to become your primary supervisor. However, you can say that your ex primary supervisor gave up her rights when she withdrew from your project.

And so it is your right to get a new primary supervisor. I do not think that the uni can actually block you from getting a new primary supervisor when your old one actually gave up her position willingly.

So go and get the new one on board. The withdrawal of your former supervisor has worked in your favour, even though it was such a horrid thing for her to do.

That is a good way of looking at it! I guess you need to ask yourself: do I have anything to lose here by asserting my rights?

So what are your options now would you say?

PhD schools never find you a new supervisor. You find your own supervisor, So you can't even ask them to use the previous one who consented?

And what do you mean your former supervisor took it back? She can't be your supervisor unless you sign a form taking her back.

I still won't trust her with your reference letter. I have no idea what she will do behind your back.

On sueing, it is very rare that students win. But if you intend to sue, you better start talking to a lawyer so you can start collecting hard evidence before you graduate so you don miss anything.

Are you funded? (Sorry you may have stated this before and I have missed it).

What would happen if you said that you wanted the other supervisor (who has agreed to take you on) and are not willing to work with the old one any longer (full stop - no arguments - no more reasons given - just no)?

Hmmm, I sense a show of power play, that she wanted to cause you misery and "put you in place".

You have spoken to the Students Union as well and they also have nothing to advice you? I would have thought that they could help somehow.

If you have exhausted everything and there really is nothing else that you can do but accept that horrible person as your supervisor, then I guess that's that. Your problem with the reference letter may still continue because there is no guarantee that horrible person will do it for you. Do ensure that during your last few month you make good relationship with some other experienced, established researchers who will be able to write good reference letters and say good things about you. This might be your lifeline in future.