University fined more than £580k in free speech probe

The University of Sussex has been fined £585,000 after an investigation found it had failed to uphold freedom of speech.

- ROB FREEMAN

The investigation by the Office for Students (OfS) found that documents which govern university policy also failed to safeguard academic freedom, as well as finding failings in the management and governance of the university.

It was launched following protests calling for the dismissal of senior academic Professor Kathleen Stock in 2021 after she was accused of transphobia.

Professor Stock faced protests on the campus after publishing a book on gender identity, an experience she told the BBC was like a "surreal anxiety dream". She resigned from her position at the university in 2021.

The university's vice-chancellor, Professor Sasha Roseneil, said the university would legally challenge the OfS's findings.

The Ofs report found no evidence Professor Stock said anything unlawful during her time at the university and concluded its "trans and non-binary equality policy statement failed to uphold the freedom of speech and academic freedom public interest governance principles" required by the watchdog.