Freedom of speech

Changes to regulation

The Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 received Royal Assent on 11 May 2023 although the majority of its provisions are not yet in force.

We are working with the Department for Education to implement this new legislation because the various provisions need to be commenced by secondary legislation.  

The government has announced its decision to stop implementation of the remaining provisions of the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 and to consider the approach it wishes to take to these issues.

Published 13 September 2023
Last updated 26 July 2024
26 July 2024
We have updated the page in light of the the government's decision to stop implementation of the remaining provisions of the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023.
26 March 2024
We updated the indicative timeline now that our consultation on proposed regulatory advice and other matters relating to freedom of speech has been published.
14 March 2024
Updated indicative timeline

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