Guest
Free Speech Union (FSU) Legal Officer Stephen O’Grady joined Tom Harwood and Miriam Cates on GB News to discuss the latest episode of cancel culture on campus. This is the news that FSU General Secretary Toby Young has sent a threatening letter to the Vice Chancellor of the University of Durham after its oldest student society, the Durham Union, was blocked from taking part at Freshers’ Fair. This censorious behaviour by a militant student union, banning a 200 year-old debating society from Freshers’ Fair because it isn’t left-wing enough, wouldn’t be possible if the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act had been commenced in full by the present government. It’s an incident that illustrates why the FSU has launched legal proceedings against the government following its decision to torpedo this vital piece of legislation, which was designed to tackle cancel culture in English universities. The Act would have imposed a legal duty on universities in England to uphold and promote free speech and it would have extended that duty to student unions. Having received cross-party support during the last Parliament, its most important clauses were due to come into force on 1st August. However, because Rishi Sunak called an election before the Act had been fully implemented, this Government has seized its chance to derail it. We filed our a claim against the Secretary of State for Education, Bridget Phillipson, on 5th September. Our lawyers put a powerful legal argument before the High Court. You can read our ‘Statement of Facts and Grounds’ here. However, judicial review is expensive, and any help with our legal costs would be hugely appreciated – click this link to donate. Make no mistake: these proceedings are extremely important. As Akua Reindorf KC, the UK’s leading equality barrister puts it, defending the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act “is not about petty ‘culture wars’; it’s about people’s lives, livelihoods and fundamental human rights”.
