Supporters of England’s campus free speech bill have urged ministers to force through a clause allowing universities to be sued over perceived breaches of their duties, against peers who are “unwilling to compromise”, with the government tipped to succeed in any such battle.
A date has not yet been set for MPs to consider amendments the Lords made to the bill earlier this month, including scrapping a statutory tort that had been included in the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill, allowing individuals to sue universities and students’ unions for compensation “if they have suffered loss” as a result of an institution breaching duties to protect free speech.
Claire Coutinho, a junior minister in the Department for Education whose brief includes freedom of speech, subsequently said that the government was “resolute” that provisions for the tort would be included in the bill.
