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Bridget Phillipson Tried to Pull the Plug on New Free Speech Law Days After Election

by Toby Young
28 December 2024 7:00 PM

Bridget Phillipson tried to pull the plug on new free speech laws in her first act as Education Secretary just days after the general election, court documents reveal. The Telegraph has more.

High Court documents show Ms. Phillipson received a briefing from Department for Education (DfE) officials in July on how she could go about revoking new laws promoting academic freedom.

She took the university sector by surprise when she announced on July 26th that she was shelving the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act, just six days before it was due to come into force.

Ms. Phillipson said at the time that she had chosen to “stop” the flagship Tory legislation before it was set to be implemented on Aug 1st “in order to consider options, including its repeal”.

However, court documents obtained by the Telegraph reveal the Education Secretary had already sought advice weeks before that on how to scrap the main elements of the free speech legislation.

In a briefing addressed to Ms. Phillipson on July 8th, the Monday after Labour swept to power, DfE officials said: “We understand you do not wish to implement the main provisions of the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023.

“A decision is needed on whether to allow the commencement of the provisions of the Act that are due to come into force on Aug 1st, or to pause.”

The DfE document informed Ms Phillipson that failure to intervene over the Act would mean the legislation automatically going live at the start of August.

It said that “therefore, immediate decisions are needed to revoke these regulations following which you can consider different options relating to repeal of the Act”.

It suggests Ms. Phillipson set the wheels in motion to shelve the flagship Tory legislation just days after the General Election, in her first major act as Education Secretary.

The Telegraph understands it came after she consulted Jewish groups and other interested parties over their concerns about the legislation while still in the Opposition.

Days after she entered office, DfE officials advised Ms. Phillipson on various courses of action for scaling back the free speech legislation.

Documents show the Education Secretary was told she should “consider whether you wish to repeal the Act, in part or in full, or leave it on the statute book without the main provisions commenced”.

The Act, which received royal assent in May 2023, would have introduced a new complaints scheme for academics, students and visiting speakers concerned about free speech violations on campus.

It would have also allowed victims of ‘cancel culture’ at universities to seek compensation through a statutory tort.

Ms Phillipson’s decision to mothball the laws has received widespread backlash from academics, who argue it leaves them vulnerable to being “hounded, censured and silenced” for holding legitimate views some may deem offensive.

Sources close to the discussions told the Telegraph they were furious the Act has been painted as a “Tory hate charter” designed to stoke the culture wars.

The Education Secretary insisted the move followed concerns from Jewish groups that the Act could have created a platform for hate speech on campus.

Critics have branded the suggestion a red herring, insisting that the legislation would only have strengthened protections for free speech “within the law”.

Ms. Phillipson now faces legal action over her decision to pull the plug on the Act, after the Free Speech Union was granted permission to appeal the move.

A judicial review hearing is set to take place in the High Court on Jan 23rd.

Worth reading in full.

You can contribute to the CrowdJustice fundraiser the FSU has set up to help pay the costs of bringing the legal challenge against Ms. Phillipson here.

Tags: Arif AhmedBridget PhillipsonDepartment for EducationHigh CourtHigher Education (Freedom of Speech) ActJudicial Review

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