Under the proposed bill, any lecture, seminar or guest speech could end up in a lawsuit
The government has published its higher education (freedom of speech) bill. Under it, universities will have a new duty to secure freedom of speech for staff members, students and visiting speakers. Anyone (“a person”) will be able to sue (“bring civil proceedings”) where they believe that a university or student union has failed to protect free speech. An official with the Orwellian title of “director for freedom of speech and academic freedom” will have to decide if courses, talks and university policies maintain academic freedom.
It is not wrong to think that free speech is often threatened. But much of the intimidation in recent years has come from Conservatives and the right. Take the equalities minister publicly criticising a journalist for doing their job. Or the culture secretary intervening in the curatorial decisions of museums.
