This piece has been written for HEPI by Josh Freeman, who is a postgraduate student and a former HEPI intern. His most recent publication was on students’ perceptions of career services (HEPI Policy Note 40).
Unexpectedly for a piece of legislation whose passage through Parliament has been painfully slow, December 2022 saw a rapid series of changes made to the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill.
First, the Government appeared to make large changes to the new statutory tort, a new legal mechanism intended to support those who have had their free speech rights infringed by higher education institutions. Then the Lords scrapped the tort entirely. Now the legislation is back in the Commons, and it is up to ministers in the Department for Education to decide how far to push the issue.
