Education Secretary confirms she halted free speech act over Holocaust denial concerns

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has told MPs her decision to pause the previous government’s academic freedom of speech laws was influenced by concerns raised by Jewish groups about the unintended spread of “Holocaust denial” on campuses.

Questioned about the impact of her announcement about the legislation, Phillipson said:”I was concerned about what I heard from Jewish groups and other minority communities about the unintended consequences that might follow from the legislation.

“That’s why I paused the commencement with a view to getting this right. Making sure we protect academic freedom, but avoiding the situation where hate speech is allowed to flourish on campus.”

The Sunderland MP added universities should be places in which a wide range of views are discussed, some of which may prove difficult or don’t agree with.

Pressed by Conservative MPs who claimed her decision represented a threat to free speech, Phillipson said she believed retaining academic freedom was “incredibly important.”

But she added she would not want to see a situation arise in which “hate speech including Holocaust denial was spread on campus.”

This was some “the previous education minister and the last government was unable to rule out,” said Phillipson.

The decision to pause the implementation of the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) has been welcomed by communal groups including the Board of Deputies, the Union of Jewish Students and the Antisemitism Policy Trust.

Lord Mann, the government’s  adviser on antisemitism, also delivered a strongly worded attack on the consequences of the laws in relation to Jewish students in the House of Lords. 

But Jewish News understands some communal figures have raised concerns about the decision to pause the legislation, originally intended as a response to claims of “cancel culture” at universities, including pro-Israel voices.