The Telegraph, 15th October 2024
I was cancelled by Cambridge – and Starmer's Labour bears the blame (telegraph.co.uk)
Thanks to the blocking of the Tories’ freedom of speech protections, campuses are turning into no go zones for people like me
When an elected member of our Parliament is not allowed to speak, something must be wrong. When it happens on the campus of one of our world-class universities, then we have a crisis. This is exactly what happened to me last week, at Cambridge, my alma mater.
My views on issues such as Brexit, immigration, the Israel-Hamas conflict and identity politics are well known and clear. For better or worse, ambiguity isn’t my style.
These are the very same views held by millions of people around the country who voted Conservative only a few months ago at the general election. Many may disagree with me but these opinions are not illegal, extremist or hateful. Most of them were contained in our manifesto.
And yet my scheduled visit to speak to the Cambridge University Conservative Association (which I used to chair) was jumped upon by “Cambridge for Palestine” who branded it “far-Right”, urging their members to protest outside the venue.
This, in itself, did not deter the organisers or myself: I’m used to the rough and tumble of politics and sadly, for the students concerned, being a Conservative on campus these days comes with its downsides. Besides, the right to protest is fundamental to our democracy and one that I respect.
But it’s what happened next that sent chills down my spine. The university authorities, together with the police and other security services, issued stark and unequivocal warnings to the organisers that the event would present a safety risk to the attendees and that it could only proceed if extra security was put on, at a cost of more than £1,000.
It is intriguing that, following the public outcry, the police and authorities have now backed away from the advice they issued last week. But be in no doubt, the organisers were pressured to cancel the event by those “in charge” because I was deemed too risky and the protesters could not be managed.
The perversity of where we have got to cannot be overstated. The bullies, who wanted to intimidate and harass, were not policed but instead enabled. While those of us going about our business peacefully, privately and respectfully were shut down.
So yes, the protesters may have been successful in gagging fellow Conservatives and myself on this occasion, but we will not be worn down by these militant tactics. We are resolute: the event has already been rescheduled and will go ahead.
But what this sorry tale tells us is two things: firstly, that freedom of speech is under severe threat at universities. Academics and celebrities who have spoken out against transgender ideology, criticised the Chinese or Iranian regimes, questioned DEI culture or condemned Islamism have found themselves targeted, cancelled or threatened. Fellowships have been rescinded, promotions put on hold and students downgraded.
Universities, supposedly paragons of free inquiry and civilised debate, have now descended into partisan hotbeds of Left-wing militancy where, if your views don’t align with those in charge, you face a difficult time.
And secondly, that this Labour government doesn’t care about the crisis. By blocking the Higher Education (Free Speech) Act 2023 from fully coming into force, the Government has scrapped the very protections that would have prevented last week’s fiasco.
The flagship Conservative law would have obliged the university to pro-actively facilitate free speech and support students and their guests in exercising their rights. The event would have been able to proceed because the university would have covered the costs of extra security.
In short, the Act would have put in place the structures to build a culture of free speech, which is desperately needed on campus today.
However, it is not just the Government’s failure to protect free speech that is concerning. Its plans to reform the workplace and equalities laws will have a chilling effect on freedom of expression. Labour’s plans for a “full, trans-inclusive ban on conversion practices” will potentially criminalise those questioning transgender ideology.
Provisions in the draft Employment Rights Bill will impose obligations on employers to protect staff from being offended by third parties, and its commitment to adopting a broad definition of Islamophobia could mean the introduction of blasphemy laws by the backdoor. Whilst anti-Muslim hatred must be criminal, legitimate questioning of any religion should not be outlawed.
Orwell said that the best way to control minds in a society was to control its language first. Life on campus seems to have been overtaken by a battle using language to exert social control. The so-called tolerant, inclusive progressives have been exposed as intolerant, prejudiced and hell-bent on excluding those who have the temerity to disagree.
Unless the tide is turned, this story does not end well: we cannot allow our universities to lead society’s descent into such oppression.
