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Written question asked by James McMurdock (Independent (affiliation)) on Tuesday, 19 May 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 21 May 2026. It was answered by Josh MacAlister (Labour) on Monday, 1 June 2026 on behalf of the Department for Education.

Academic Freedom: Subversion

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled New powers to protect vital free speech at universities, published on 20 April 2026, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of external actors, including foreign states, on free speech on UK campuses.

Answer

Any attempt by any foreign power to intimidate, harass or harm individuals or communities in the UK or to coerce universities to limit free speech and academic freedoms, will not be tolerated.

Foreign interference concerns have been raised in relation to a range of countries. The National Security Strategy sets out concerns regarding Russian, Iranian and Chinese interference impacting a range of institutions, journalists and universities. However, it is the longstanding policy of successive UK governments that we do not comment on specific operational, intelligence or security matters.

This government brought the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme into force on 1 July 2025, which applies to organisations and individuals including UK universities and students. Any person conducting political influence activity at the direction of any foreign country or being directed by the Russian or Iranian states to conduct activity in the UK, must register. We have also announced a new Academic Interference Reporting Route and issued guidance to help students and staff identify and escalate issues.

Lastly, our Prevent Coordinators help universities follow the correct policies and procedures on concerns relating to students’ union activity and student conduct.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
2942
Session
2026-27
Grouped for answer
Yes
Subjects
Academic freedom Subversion
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk