Gyimah sets out plans to ‘clarify’ rules on free speech

A “dizzying variety” of rules is preventing free speech on campuses, universities minister Sam Gyimah has said, but higher education leaders question how widespread the problem really is.

Gyimah hosted a summit on free speech on 3 May. He urged university leaders to “work together to create new guidance on free speech”. As it stands, guidance is “murky” and “disjointed”, and is therefore at risk of being exploited by those who want to stifle free speech, he said.

The minister said he wanted to create guidance “that will for the first time provide clarity of the rules for both students and universities” since the free speech duty was introduced in 1986.