England: Government to crack down on ‘no-platforming’ and ‘safe spaces’ on university campuses

The UK government has announced plans to crack down “no-platforming” and “safe spaces” on university campuses out of concern that the practices undermine free speech.

Universities minister Sam Gyimah told a summit in London that complex sector guidance was being exploited by “bureaucrats or wreckers on campus” who wish to stifle free speech.

He said he will offer to work with the university sector to create new guidance clarifying rules “for both students and universities”.

The announcement marks the government’s first intervention on free speech on campus since the introduction of the free speech duty on universities under the Education (No. 2) Act 1986.

Mr Gyimah said: “A society in which people feel they have a legitimate right to stop someone expressing their views on campus simply because they are unfashionable or unpopular is rather chilling.

“There is a risk that overzealous interpretation of a dizzying variety of rules is acting as a brake on legal free speech on campus.

“That is why I am bringing together leaders from across the higher education sector to clarify the rules and regulations around speakers and events to prevent bureaucrats or wreckers on campus from exploiting gaps for their own ends.”

In England, the new Office for Students (OfS) is able to name, shame or even fine institutions for not upholding the principle of free speech.

The board of the authority, which entered force last month, includes Simon Levine, CEO of DLA Piper.

Alistair Jarvis, chief executive of Universities UK, said: “Universities are committed to promoting and protecting free speech within the law. Tens of thousands of speaking events are put on every year across the country, the majority pass without incident.

“A small number of flash points do occasionally occur, on contentious or controversial issues, but universities do all they can to protect free speech so events continue.

“As the Joint Committee on Human Rights recently found, there is no systematic problem with free speech in universities, but current advice can be strengthened. We welcome discussions with government and the National Union of Students on how this can be done.”