The UK government’s plans to give students and academics the right to sue universities over free speech concerns have been dealt a blow by the House of Lords.
Peers had already forced amendments to the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill by ensuring individuals exhausted all other options before seeking legal action, but then voted to scrap the controversial clause entirely after a lengthy debate.
Former universities minister Lord Willetts, who led the opposition to the controversial “statutory tort” included in clause 4 of the bill, successfully argued it would cause an excess of litigation for universities to deal with and further reduce the very freedom of speech it was trying to protect.
Others said the government spokesman Lord Howe’s attempt to modify the clause was a “feeble” attempt to protect academics, and would have a “chilling effect on the academic sector”.
