The Westminster government’s controversial university free speech bill might well have a chilling effect on the very exchange it aims to empower, according to a study.
A Higher Education Policy Institute (Hepi) paper published on 13 October interviews the organisers of debating events on English campuses and considers how they might be affected by the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill, which would create a new legal channel through which individuals can sue universities and students’ unions if they feel their free speech rights have been infringed.
The study by Hepi researcher Josh Freeman finds that while cancellations of controversial speakers might be reduced by the legislation, it might also dissuade societies and unions from booking them in the first place.
