"Academic freedom matters more than students not being offended."
Labour is to revive a Tory free speech law following “cancel culture” at UK universities.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson halted the introduction of the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 after the election in July, arguing it would have been “potentially damaging to student welfare”.
The law acted against “cancel culture” on campuses after protests targeting people with controversial views.
At the time, Labour sources called it a “Tory hate charter” and suggested it could be repealed entirely.
However, Ms Phillipson is believed to be planning to introduce a watered-down version of the legislation after a major backlash from academia and opposition politicians.
A source said: “The Tories left an unworkable dog’s dinner when it came to freedom of speech.
“It was right that we paused and took the time to hear concerns about its impact.
“Academic freedom matters more than students not being offended.
“That’s why we are taking forward the legislation – but crucially we are making sure it works.”
It is understood that ministers will remove part of the legislation that would allow academics to seek damages from their university for impacting their freedom of speech.
In July 2024, Ms Phillipson said there were concerns the legislation would be disproportionate and “burdensome” for providers and the Office for Students (OfS) watchdog.
However, it sparked outrage, with over 500 academics saying it was “vitally important” after university staff and students were “hounded, censured, silenced or even sacked” for expressing their opinions.
And they dismissed Government concerns that the legislation could put minority groups at risk by protecting “hate speech”, highlighting that harassment laws already outdo free speech.
Ms Phillipson indicated that Labour wants an end to so-called “culture wars” on campuses after several high-profile protests.
Higher education institutions already had a legal duty to uphold freedom of speech under existing legislation.
When the new powers were introduced, the Conservatives said it would allow speakers to express views that others may disagree with as long as they did not cross a threshold into hate speech or incitement of violence.
Shadow education secretary Laura Trott said:
“Given Labour used to call this a ‘hate speech charter’, I’m glad they’ve now U-turned.
“However, for this Bill to have teeth it must have the statutory tort included. We will always fight to protect free speech on campus.”