Why is Waitrose investigating its staff for thoughtcrime?

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According to the page set up to help fund Woods’s legal fees, he will face a disciplinary hearing later this month. The Free Speech Union, which is defending Woods, says he is one of more than 250 employees it is representing in similar circumstances across the country. Bosses increasingly feel emboldened to police their employees’ speech, and this can only get worse under Labour – which appears hell-bent on tightening Britain’s already-suffocating speech laws.

Hugo Timms, Spiked, 17th March 2025.

Katharine Birbalsingh defends religious school leader appointed Ofsted chairman

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On Monday, Lord Young, the director of the Free Speech Union and co-founder of the West London Free School, said he agreed with Ms Birbalsingh’s comments.

He wrote on X: “If people are worried that [Sir Hamid] will encourage secular school leaders to visit Tauheedul Islam Boys’ School and Tauheedul Islam Girls’ School to learn from their success, they shouldn’t be. All school leaders can learn valuable lessons from the success of those schools, as I did. They are successful … because they combine the discipline and high expectations of the best grammar schools with the inclusive, welcoming atmosphere of the best comprehensives.”

Natasha Leake, The Telegraph, 17th March 2025.

Have we reached peak woke?

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Have we developed a vaccine to the woke mind virus? I thought this ideological pandemic had peaked in 2020 when I set up the Free Speech Union (FSU), a non-partisan organisation that stands up for the speech rights of its members and campaigns for free speech more widely.

Toby Young, The Standard, 14th March 2025.

Labour MPs deal blow to free speech as they vote for ‘banter police’ in pubs

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When the plans first emerged last October, the Free Speech Union campaign group branded it a “snowflakes’ charter”. General Secretary Lord Toby Young blasted: “Expect every pub in England and Wales to employ ‘banter cops’ who’ll be tasked with eavesdropping on customers’ conversations and barring anyone who tells an ‘inappropriate’ joke.”

Christian Calgie, Daily Express, 12th March 2025.

It’s closing time for free speech in British pubs

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A clause in the new Employment Rights Bill will make people fearful about what they say when getting a drink.

Toby Young, The Telegraph, 11th March 2025.

ITV is flooded with complaints after slapping ‘woke’ trigger warning on beloved 1970s sitcom

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Free Speech Union founder Toby Young said: ‘George and Mildred? Really? What’s next?

Olivia Allhusen, Daily Mail, 10th March 2025.

Police admit mistake in investigating woman’s gender critical posts

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The Free Speech Union supported Smith throughout the investigation. Its General Secretary, Lord Young, said: “Linzi should never have been investigated for a hate crime for saying trans women aren’t women, any more than she should have been banned from Newcastle games.” He added: “I’m delighted that Northumbria Police have now admitted their error and apologised and I look forward to Newcastle now lifting its ban. No one should be punished by a football club for expressing a point of view that is perfectly legitimate, not remotely hateful and which 99 per cent of the club’s fans agree with.”

The Christian Institute, 8th March 2025.

Are you offended by ‘hard-working families’?

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Scarcely a day passes without a newspaper story about some absurd ‘language guide’ issued by a public body. This week the Daily Mail reported that Wokingham Borough Council had told its staff not to use the phrase ‘hard-working families’ in case it offended the unemployed. Other verboten words included ‘blacklist’ and ‘whitewash’, and staff were warned that ‘sustained eye contact could be considered aggressive’ in some cultures. I don’t think they meant supporters of Millwall football club, but you never know.

Toby Young, The Spectator, 8th March 2025.

No charges in Koran-burning case that should never have been brought

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In a significant moment in the fight to protect free expression in Britain, a man arrested for burning a copy of the Koran in Bradford will not face charges, following intervention by the Free Speech Union (FSU).

Dr Frederick Attenborough, TCW, 6th March 2025.

Starmer’s authoritarian instincts

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Former Royal Marine and Free Speech Union (FSU) member Jamie Michael was arrested and charged with “stirring up racial hatred” for a speech crime under the Public Order Act after posting a 12-minute Facebook video in the aftermath of the murders encouraging people to share their concerns with elected officials about the risk of allowing undocumented migrants into the country. Buffy Williams, Jamie’s Labour representative in the Welsh Parliament, reported him to the police for a “hate crime” and he was arrested and charged with “stirring up racial hatred”, an offence under the Public Order Act 1986 which carries a maximum sentence of seven years.

The FSU funded Michael’s legal defence, and at his trial in February, it took the jury just 17 minutes to return a unanimous verdict of “Not Guilty”.

Freddie Attenborough, The Critic, 4th March 2025.