Universities in England could face fines for freedom of speech failures

Office for Students plans new complaints system as Bridget Phillipson says academics too often are being silenced

Universities in England that fail to protect free speech could face fines of £500,000 or 2% of their income, and in some cases risk losing public funding, under a new complaints system, the government has said.

The Office for Students (OfS) will run a “first-of-its-kind” scheme from the new academic year allowing university staff, external speakers, and non-student members to raise concerns about providers, the Department for Education (DfE) said.