Free speech legislation that aims to eradicate “cancel culture” at English universities could be used to protect those with extreme views, according to a former universities minister.
Lord Willetts predicted that the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill – which is expected to receive Royal Assent imminently – will result in “quite a lot of legal cases” from across the political spectrum.
Asked at a Westminster Higher Education Forum event on free speech whether the bill was just about protecting Conservative views, Lord Willetts – who has been involved in scrutinising the legislation in the House of Lords – said he did not think this would be the approach taken by the Office for Students (OfS) or the courts.
He added that he could foresee a situation whereby, for example, the bill’s protections could be claimed by “people with quite extreme Islamic views”.
