Kathleen Stock’s former university, the University of Sussex, has been fined a record £585,000 after it was found to have “failed to uphold” freedom of speech and academic freedom as a result of its transgender policy. The Telegraph has more.

The Office for Students (OfS) found “a chilling effect arose” from the University of Sussex’s transgender policy that left staff and students feeling “self-censored” and unable to express “lawful views”.

The higher education regulator said an investigation found “significant and serious breaches” of free speech and governance issues at the institution.

The probe was prompted by the resignation of Prof Stock, an expert in analytic philosophy, from the University of Sussex in October 2021 after she faced death threats for her gender-critical beliefs.

At the time, students erected posters around campus and called on the university to dismiss her.

An investigation was launched following protests at Prof Stock’s dismissal. On Wednesday, it found there was “no evidence to suggest that Prof Stock’s speech during her employment at the university was unlawful”.

The OfS said: “Staff and students may have self-censored as a result of the policy because they were concerned about being in breach of the policy and potentially facing disciplinary action for expressing lawful views.

“An example of this chilling effect materialising in practice is the experience of Professor Stock while at the university,” an OfS statement said.

“Prof Stock said that she became more cautious in her expression of gender critical views as a result of the policy.

“There were some views she did not feel able to express, and therefore teach, despite those views being lawful. Other staff and students may have felt similarly unable to express these, or other, lawful views.”

But on Wednesday morning, the University of Sussex hit back, saying it will legally challenge the decision, which it claimed would “leave universities unable to have policies to prevent abusive, bullying and harassing speech and that will perpetuate the culture wars”.

In a statement, the institution claimed the OfS “refused to meet or speak with anyone from the university” and only interviewed one person during the course of its three-and-a-half-year investigation.

“The implications of the OfS’ findings are that universities could be powerless to remove offensive propaganda or to discipline those who engage in abuse, harassment or bullying, unless the propaganda or speech is unlawful,” it said.

“Universities may be unable to set expectations of behaviour or issue guidelines to protect staff and students from abusive, bullying and harassing speech which is not unlawful.”

Worth reading in full.