Katie Lam: We must not allow a blasphemy law to come in by the back door

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It took some great grassroots campaigning from Nick, Claire Coutinho, the Free Speech Union and others to get ministers to open the consultation to the public at all. And even then, Angela Rayner only did so for one week. At the time of writing, there are four days to go.I encourage you to fill out the form with Nick’s suggested answers — or your own — here.

Katie Lam, Conservative Home, 18th July 2025.

Thanet council doubles down in renewed bid for £100 swearing fine

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The Free Speech Union (FSU) has described the proposals as an absurdity. ‘The antisocial behaviour of a minority is no justification to suppress the speech of the entire population,’ said Connie Shaw, a member [sic].
Note: Connie Shaw is the FSU’s External Affairs Officer.

Lucy Bannerman, The Times, 17th July 2025.

How the unions turned against their members

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The Free Speech Union (FSU) recently dealt with a shocking case involving one of our members — let’s call him TJ — who was being investigated by his employer for some perceived transgression in a work email. Nothing particularly shocking about that these days, you might think — except that TJ was being investigated because his own trade union had shopped him to management.

Freddie Attenborough, The Critic, 17th July 2025.

The killjoy county where Labour councillors are trying to ban swearing, washing lines and public basketball courts

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However it was blocked after the Free Speech Union (FSU) threatened to fight back with legal proceedings and said it would make it the subject of a judicial review battle in the High Court.

Poppy Atkinson Gibson, Daily Mail, 16th July 2025.

Labour-run council to reinstate fines for swearing

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Last year, the Free Speech Union said Thanet council’s plan was “the worst” example it had seen of the misuse of PSPOs, adding: “It effectively imposes a strict liability speech offence, with none of the safeguards which Parliament and the courts have deemed necessary when restricting people’s fundamental rights and liberties.”

Leila Mermelstein, The Telegraph, 15th July 2025.

Council’s new plan to fine people £100 for swearing in four towns

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However, the Free Speech Union (FSU) quickly stepped in with threats of legal action, leading to the abandonment of the plan just a month later. However, according to council documents set for discussion at a meeting on Tuesday, July 15, the authority is keen to revisit these contentious measures as a means to tackle anti-social behaviour.

Steven Smith, The Mirror, 15th July 2025.

University staff face punishment if they breach Labour’s Islamophobia definition

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Among the signatories to the letter are Lord Young, the director of the Free Speech Union; Lord Frost, the former cabinet minister; Baroness Hoey, the former Labour MP; and Baroness Deech, the chair of the Lords Appointments Commission.

The peers claimed that there was no evidence that creating a definition would reduce incidents of Islamophobia. They added that it could allow the Government to avoid taking more concrete action.

Charles Hymas, The Telegraph, 14th July 2025.

GREAT BRITISH NEWS: Top positive news stories from across the UK this week

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In another victory for public pressure and legal reason, Angela Rayner quietly backed away from Labour’s controversial attempt to redefine Islamophobia… for now. After legal threats and widespread backlash, common sense prevailed and has bought a bit of time. It was a telling moment, not just of Labour’s increasingly fraught relationship with free speech, but also of the public’s power to push back against ideological overreach. People power! Well done Free Speech Union, Conservative MP Nick Timothy and the Great British PAC.

Conservative Post, 13th July 2025.

Labour’s ‘mad and bad anti-freedom’ plans must be stopped

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Then, on top of this clear example of inconsistency of a two-tier system, and I will put it that way Lord Hermer, we know that the Labour Government is looking to clamp down further on free speech by planning for what has been dubbed the “banter police”. Such an amusing term for what is, in practice, an incredibly chilling plan. Perhaps I could point to the repeated attempts in the courts to introduce a de-facto blasphemy law by the back door or Labour’s subversive efforts to hide its plans to create one. This is straight out of a Stasi handbook where neighbours were encouraged to report on conversations, and I support The Free Speech Union’s campaign against it.

David Campbell Bannerman, The Express, 12th July 2025.

CI: ‘Attempts to define Islamophobia endanger free speech and public safety’

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Threatening legal action, the Free Speech Union accused the Government of failing to make the call for evidence available for the majority of public to view.

It also said the consultation questions appeared “heavily weighted” in favour of a “predetermined outcome”, endorsing a definition “closely aligned” with the one currently adopted by the Labour Party.

The Christian Institute, 10th July 2025.