Free speech has become a flashpoint in higher education, prompting the Office for Students (OfS) to introduce new legislation aimed at strengthening protections for open discourse.
Coming into effect this August, the law, introduced by the regulator for English universities, aims to tackle increasing concerns over censorship and ideological restrictions on campus.
The new guidance was issued after institutions nationwide requested clarity on free speech rules, following the University of Sussex’s landmark fine in March for failing to protect it. A report released this month has further revealed UK universities have systematically failed to safeguard gender-critical academics.
With the OfS now advising students to prepare to feel shocked and offended as an inevitable part of their education, The Tab examined the Russell Group universities that have faced the biggest free speech controversies in recent years.
1. University of Cambridge
A pro-Palestine encampment on Magdalene College’s grounds in June
In June, a University of Cambridge college was granted an interim High Court injunction against pro-Palestine protesters who had positioned themselves in its grounds. The move was controversial, leading to concerns that it might limit students’ freedom of expression, with the group saying it rejected any attempt by the university to “repress [their] right to protest”.
However, the injunction papers, which cover the entire Magdalene site, say the college “is fully committed to the principle and to the promotion of freedom of speech”.
2. University of Leeds
Myself and @_ConnieShaw are outside Leeds University Student Union. Discussion and debate encouraged! pic.twitter.com/oQnCYYtu2w
— Maeve Halligan (@MaeveHalligan) May 19, 2025
Connie Shaw was suspended from Leeds Student Radio (LSR) last year following her production of gender-critical content. This led podcaster and journalist Andrew Gold to film a documentary about Leeds Uni, branding it “the most censorious campus in the UK”.
In May, Connie also set up what was described as a “TERF stand” outside the Students’ Union. There was considerable backlash, including the theft of signs, as well as insults and profanity allegedly directed towards her by staff and students.
Leeds University Union subsequently posted an Instagram Story saying it didn’t authorise the stall, with the equalities and liberations officer encouraging concerned or affected students to put in a complaint about the stand.
In response, Connie said that requiring permission “to host a stall encouraging open discussion and debate reflects the authoritarian nature of university campus, and attitudes towards gender-critical views”.
Leeds Medical School also came under fire in February after it was accused of silencing pro-Palestinian students in a controversial email. The UCU called on the university to uphold students’ rights to free expression and condemned attempts “to characterise expressions of solidarity with Palestinians as antisemitic”.
3. University of Birmingham
View this post on Instagram
Earlier this year, two student protestors, dubbed the “UoB2”, faced formal disciplinary action for an unauthorised protest outside an investment meeting at the university.
Birmingham University and College Union criticised the proceedings, arguing that the university was using its own free speech policy to punish protester rather than protect them, and called for the disciplinary action to be dropped.
The university insisted it supports lawful free speech but declined to comment on ongoing individual cases, noting it approved several Palestine-related rallies in the previous term.
After a year-long investigation the two student activists, Mariyah Ali and Antonia Listrat, have since been cleared of all charges.
A University of Birmingham spokesperson told The Tab: “We have a strong and longstanding commitment to freedom of speech and academic freedom, supported by our Code of Practice. Through this we regularly facilitate debates and activities (such as rallies) on a range of issues, including in relation to Palestine. It was developed with expert internal and external legal advice, and has also been relied upon in a High Court judgment.
“The University of Birmingham has never, and would never, act against any member of our community – which includes staff, students and visitors from a wide range of backgrounds and beliefs – because of the views they lawfully hold or express. We do not tolerate any form of discrimination or racism, and so we will investigate any complaint or allegation of misconduct, harassment or breach of our regulations.”
4. University of Oxford
Kathleen being questioned by Oxford University students via YouTube
In May 2023, Oxford Union invited Kathleen Stock to give a talk at the university. Protests from student societies ensued, including one where an activist glued themselves to the floor during her speech. The university now reaffirms the importance of free speech through termly events.
In 2020, Oxford’s Students’ Union also passed a motion defining “academic hate speech” to include ableist, misogynistic, and class-based content, calling for trigger warnings and non-compulsory exposure to such materials. Many academics criticised the motion for allegedly infringing on freedom of expression.
However, the University of Oxford told Cherwell at the time that it “has no plans to censor reading materials assigned by our academics”.
5. University of Bristol
Last year, a tribunal heard how a University of Bristol academic experienced discrimination when he was sacked from his position for comments he made about Israel.
Zillur Rahman, who represented Professor David Miller at the tribunal, described it as a “landmark case”, and said his client had been “vindicated”.
The complaint against the professor was first received in 2019, after he said the Zionist movement was one of five pillars driving Islamophobia in the UK. In 2021, further complaints were made following an event called “building the campaign for free speech”, where the academic spoke of being publicly criticised for his views. This led to disciplinary proceedings and what has now been described as an unfair and wrongful dismissal.
A University of Bristol spokesperson said: “We carefully considered the Employment Tribunal’s judgment which was published in February 2024 and sought permission to appeal the decision. Permission was granted in June 2024. It would not be appropriate to comment any further whilst the legal process takes its due course.”
Bonus – University of Sussex
Whilst not a Russell Group, the University of Sussex made national headlines this year after being handed a record £585,000 fine for failing to uphold freedom of speech. This was related to the case of Kathleen Stock, a philosophy professor who resigned after she became the subject of campus protests for her views on transgender rights and gender identification. The ruling was handed down in March after a three and a half year OfS investigation.
A University of Sussex spokesperson said: “The University believes that the OfS has acted unlawfully because it acted outside of its powers, irrationally and is wrong in law. As a result, on 9th May 2025 the University submitted its application for judicial review of the OfS’s decision. As the legal process has now formally begun, the University will not be making further comment for the foreseeable future, but you can find our legal arguments in the pre-action protocol letter which we published in April.”
The University of Sussex’s latest statement in response to the fine can also be found here.
The University of Oxford, Oxford Students’ Union, the University of Cambridge, the University of Leeds and Leeds University Union have not yet responded to requests for comment.
Featured image via Canva, YouTube and @the.uob.2 on Instagram
