Arif Ahmed appointed freedom of speech director

Prof Arif Ahmed has been appointed the first director for freedom of speech and academic freedom at the Office for Students (OfS).

As director, he said he would defend free speech and academic freedom "using all means available".

In his role, he will have responsibility for investigating breaches of the Freedom of Speech Act.

This includes a new complaints scheme for students, staff and visiting speakers.

Prof Ahmed, a professor of philosophy at the University of Cambridge, said free speech and academic freedom are "fundamental to our civilisation".

"They are vital to the core purpose of universities and colleges. They are not partisan values," he said.

The announcement follows a demonstration by hundreds of people, who gathered outside the Oxford Union to protest against a talk by the gender-critical academic, Kathleen Stock on Tuesday.

Protesters said they were opposed to the use of the Oxford Union platform to express anti-trans views.

Speaking before the scheduled event, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the talk should be allowed to go ahead.

The Department for Education said the appointment of Prof Ahmed, which follows the Freedom of Speech Act becoming law in May, was "a huge step forward".

The law will help to protect the reputation of universities "as centres of academic freedom". It will also see student unions held to the same legal responsibilities as universities and their colleges to "take reasonably practicable steps to ensure lawful freedom of speech", it said.

Higher education providers and student unions which fail to comply may face sanctions, including fines.

Visiting speakers, academics or students could seek compensation if they suffer from a breach of a university's free speech obligations.

Susan Lapworth, chief executive of the Office for Students, said the appointment of Prof Ahmed would bring "an important academic perspective" to their work in this area.

Universities UK, which represents 140 universities across the UK, said universities take their responsibility to protect and promote both free speech and academic freedom "seriously", and "work hard to ensure that these concepts are understood by the whole university community".

Providers continue "to oppose all forms of harassment and discrimination", it added.

Claire Coutinho, minister for children, families and wellbeing, said: "We're making history with the Freedom of Speech Act, ensuring that fear does not undermine the rights of students and academics to debate controversial ideas and securing the right to an open exchange of ideas in universities."

"Getting this balance right is not always straightforward or easy, but by working collaboratively we can protect the important role that universities play in the pursuit of truth and free exchange of ideas."