Plans to scrap laws tackling “cancel culture” on university campuses have been hit with backlash by leading British authors.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson indefinitely suspended legislation that would have forced universities to protect the right of legal free speech on campus or face sanctions.
The announcement has been met with backlash from leading academics, who warned it will stifle academic freedom in controversial areas such as transgender rights.
Now, seven British Nobel laureates, including Sir John Gurdon, whose pioneering work in cloning led to the birth of Dolly the sheep, have penned a letter alongside 600 academics saying the suspension of the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act could put academics at risk and suppress learning.
Sir John has spoken out against the plans by education secretary Bridget Phillipson to suspended the legislation
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The letter said: "The decision to halt [the act] appears to reflect the view, widespread among opponents, that there is no ‘free speech problem’ in UK universities. Nothing could be more false.
"Hundreds of academics and students have been hounded, censured, silenced or even sacked over the last 20 years for the expression of legal opinions. This state of affairs has serious consequences for all of us.
"The suppression of university research into the effects of puberty blockers facilitated one of the great medical scandals of our age, as the Cass Review makes clear.”
Other Nobel prizewinners such as Sir Peter Ratcliffe, professor of clinical medicine at Oxford University and biologist Sir Gregory Winter, whose work on monoclonal antibodies has led to the development of treatments for diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis also signed the letter.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson indefinitely suspended legislation that would have forced universities to protect the right of legal free speech on campus or face sanctions
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Phillipson is also facing a legal challenge against the decision amid claims that she exceeded her authority by indefinitely suspending an act of parliament.
She told MPs this week that she wanted to listen to a "range of views" on the issue, warning that it "could expose students to harm and appalling hate speech."
She said: "I take having strong freedom of expression in our universities, and students being exposed to a range of views — some of which they might find difficult or disagree with — extremely seriously."
She has previously said that she suspended the act because she was worried about the burden it would place on universities to investigate complaints at a time of financial strain, reports The Times.
Associate professor of law at Oxford Julius Grower who has helped lead the campaign, said the government’s decision had "shocked" many academics who "thought that the issue was finally closed."
He said: “Hundreds of colleagues from a range of institutions and backgrounds have come together to ask the secretary of state to think again. The momentum is growing. People are emailing in every day asking to sign the letter, and what they can do to support the cause.”
However, the move to suspend the legislation has been backed by some Jewish groups who warned that it could "inadvertently provide antisemitic individuals with greater opportunities to use campuses as platforms for spreading hate."