The HE Free Speech Bill must Incorporate the Equality Act

Main author: Renton, David
Other authors: Scott-Baumann, Alison
Format: Monographs and Working Papers           
Online access: Click here to view record


Summary: Summary: Since mid-May, the universities minister Michelle Donelan has insisted that the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill will not require universities to accept speech that contravenes the Equality Act: “We can hold and articulate views which are objectionable to others as long as they don’t cross the threshold of hate speech” This statement directly contradicts the fact that the bill now before parliament is an absolutist free speech bill, ensuring that the Equality Act will cease to apply.