Free speech protections to be enforced in UK universities

Universities will be required to protect free speech or face fines of up to £500k, the Education Secretary has announced.

Bridget Phillipson said that in order to tackle “dystopian” speech restrictions in universities, there will be a new complaints procedure for university staff, external speakers and non-student members. This will be regulated by the Office for Students (OfS) and will come into effect in the next academic year.

The previous Government’s Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act was shelved just before it was due to come into force in August 2024. In January 2025, Phillipson said the Government would proceed with a “workable, robust complaints system” that does not expose universities to “disproportionate” costs.

Dystopian

Phillipson stated: “Free speech in our universities is not a luxury — it is the foundation of intellectual progress.”

She explained that she had spoken to academics about “instances of free speech being suppressed that sound more like a dystopian novel than reality”.

The MP for Houghton and Sunderland South told The Times: “We are working tirelessly across the board to promote the twin pillars of academic freedom and freedom of speech.

“Without the freedom to question, debate, and even offend, education loses its power to transform minds and shape a more thoughtful society. And all of society will lose out.”

Years of delay

The Director for Free Speech and Academic Freedom at the OfS, Arif Ahmed, said: “Today’s announcement should give staff and visiting speakers confidence that they will have new routes to seek redress, and that we will have powers to act in defence of their free speech and academic freedom where institutions are failing to uphold these principles.”

Shadow Education Secretary Laura Trott, criticised the Government for its two-year delay in introducing the protections: “Without it, academics have been left exposed to censorship with no clear route of redress. Research was silenced, controversial work was shelved, and universities were able to dodge accountability.

“Protecting free speech in our universities is fundamental to academic freedom, and this step is welcome but long overdue after years of delay from Labour.”

Professor Malcolm Press, President of Universities UK, which represents 142 universities, noted: “Protecting free speech while preventing harassment, hate speech, and radicalisation are complex tasks involving finely balanced decisions. It is important that the OFS discharges its new responsibilities fairly, transparently, and proportionately.”