Uni free speech to be protected ‘at all costs’ by newly appointed tsar

The Government’s newly appointed free speech tsar has pledged to use his new role to “defend free speech within the law for all views and approaches”.

Arif Ahmed is the first Director for Freedom of Speech and Academic Freedom at the Office for Students, a role that was promised by the Department for Education (DfE) in 2021.

The Professor of Philosophy at the University of Cambridge said he will use “all means necessary” to address the “urgent threats to free speech” on campuses.

‘Underpinning principles’

The new free speech champion said disputes are settled by “discussion, not censorship or violence”, and explained that new legislation requires universities and colleges to “promote, and take steps to secure, academic freedom and free speech within the law”.

Ahmed will also investigate any infringements of the duties placed on universities to promote freedom of speech. Breaches could include no-platforming speakers, forcing staff and students to attend ‘ideological’ bias training, and disciplining academics for their social media activity.

Office for Students’ Chief Executive Susan Lapworth said: “Freedom of speech and academic freedom are essential underpinning principles of higher education in England. Arif’s appointment will ensure they continue to be robustly defended.”

A spokesperson for Universities UK also welcomed his appointment, saying: “Universities take their responsibility to protect and promote both free speech and academic freedom seriously.”

Failed attempt

Last week, transgender activists failed to silence the gender-critical views of Professor Kathleen Stock OBE at an Oxford Union event.

Intervening ahead of the talk at the historic debating society, Rishi Sunak said that a ‘vocal few’ had no right to shut down ‘free debate in a free society’.

Hundreds of activists attempted to derail the event on Tuesday, after Oxford University’s LGBTQ+ society urged the society to ‘no-platform’ the senior academic, branding her “transphobic” for upholding the reality of biological sex.