Labour poised to scrap free speech laws as cancel culture threatens lecturers
By Jack Walters
Published: 26/07/2024
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Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has been tipped to scrap free speech laws designed to protect academics from being cancelled.
Phillipson is vowing to “stop further commencement” of the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023.
The decision came just days before the new free speech tsar’s powers were scheduled to come into force.
The Act was intended to ensure universities, colleges and student unions in England would have a legal duty to promote free speech.
The Office for Students (OfS) was also set to be granted new powers to launch investigations and impose fines on universities if they were found to have violated academics’ right to free speech.
Phillipson said: “I have written to colleagues separately about my decision to stop further commencement of the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023, in order to consider options, including its repeal.
“I am aware of concerns that the Act would be burdensome on providers and on the OfS Office for Students, and I will confirm my long-term plans as soon as possible.”
However, the Free Speech Union has vowed to launch legal action against the Government.
In a statement, the Free Speech Union said: “The Government’s attack on the Freedom of Speech Act is shocking.
“If Labour refuses to commence legislation passed in the last parliament, the Free Speech Union will bring judicial review proceedings.
“There is a free speech crisis in our universities, as has been widely acknowledged, and this Act, which enjoyed cross-party support, was designed to remedy that.
“For all Sir Keir Starmer’s talk about human rights, he clearly doesn’t care about the most important human right of all, which is the right to free speech.”
Ex-Education Secretary Gavin Williamson also criticised Phillipson over her decision.
“Over the last thirty years we have seen the gradual but continuous erosion of free speech within higher education institutions and that is why I put legislation in place to protect it,” Williamson told The Telegraph.
“The Labour Government’s decision to scrap free speech protections just says it does not care for free and wide-ranging debate.
“Rather, it is willing to turn a blind eye, while dissenting academic voices are hounded off campus.”
The legislation was drawn up after a number of high-profile academics were allegedly cancelled.
Dr Heather Brunskell-Evans was no-platformed by university students at King’s College London after she discussed transgender issues on a radio show.
Kathleen Stock, a philosophy professor, also resigned from Sussex University after what she described as a “witch-hunt” because of her views on transgender issues.
