Labour will use AI to snoop on social media

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Lord Young of the Free Speech Union said: “To scale up the British arm of the censorship-industrial complex at a time when it’s being dismantled on the other side of the Atlantic is politically unwise, to put it mildly.”

“It’s particularly tin-eared given that the social media platforms that will be targeted by this new robo-censor are all American-owned.”

“To the Trump-Vance administration this will look like another attempt to ‘kill Musk’s Twitter’, the self-professed agenda of a pro-censorship lobby group founded by Keir Starmer’s chief of staff.”

Sarah Knapton, The Telegraph, 22nd February 2025.

Badenoch: Islamophobia definition would create a blasphemy law

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Lord Young, who founded the Free Speech Union, said: “She’s certainly said more and done more in office to stand up for free speech than any other conservative politician. You know she’s serious about free speech because she ennobled me and Nigel Bigger. I’m the CEO of the Free Speech union, Nigel’s the chair, so she obviously cares about it and thinks it’s important, and our voices should be in Parliament standing up for it.”

Dominic Penna, The Telegraph, 19th February 2025.

Kristie Higgs: A victory for Christianity and free speech

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The Free Speech Union (FSU) intervened in the case and successfully persuaded the Court to adopt several key arguments, reinforcing vital protections for freedom of belief in the workplace.

Dr Frederick Attenborough, TCW, 17th February 2025.

Hundreds charged with online ‘speech crimes’ amid claims UK civil liberties under threat

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Lord Toby Young, founder of the Free Speech Union, said: “The number of people who’ve been charged with this offence is deeply concerning. The problem with trying to criminalise ‘disinformation’ is that it empowers the state to decide what is and isn’t true.”

Ciaran McGrath, Daily Express, 16th February 2025.

UK 1984: Hundreds Charged in Britain for Speech Crimes Under Orwellian Online Safety Act

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Conservative peer and founder of the Free Speech Union, Lord Young of Acton, commented: “The number of people who’ve been charged with this offence is deeply concerning. The problem with trying to criminalise ‘disinformation’ is that it empowers the state to decide what is and isn’t true.”

Kurt Zindulka, Breitbart, 16th February 2025.

Hundreds charged with online ‘speech crimes’ under ‘Orwellian’ crackdown

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Lord Toby Young, the Conservative peer and founder of the Free Speech Union, said: “The number of people who’ve been charged with this offence is deeply concerning. The problem with trying to criminalise ‘disinformation’ is that it empowers the state to decide what is and isn’t true.”

Lord Young added that the false communications offence was the latest in a number of “speech crimes” created by successive governments. He said: “Causing someone psychological distress should not be a criminal offence.”

Matthew Field, The Telegraph, 15th February 2025.

Should free speech campaigners hope Andrew Gwynne is prosecuted?

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David McKelvey, a former detective chief inspector in the Met Police, has called for the prosecution of Andrew Gwynne, the Labour MP forced to resign as a health minister last weekend for posting racist and sexist comments in a private WhatsApp group. ‘One rule for MPs, another for police officers?’ he asked on LinkedIn, pointing out that other officers have been prosecuted for sending less offensive messages. ‘The law must be applied fairly to all – no exceptions.’

Toby Young, The Spectator, 15th February 2025.

Woke Channel 4 bosses hit iconic sitcom Father Ted with a trigger warning due to ‘racial impersonations and language’

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Free Speech Union leader Toby Young also slammed the move to put a trigger warning on the episode. He said: “The language and behaviour was ‘offensive’ in 1998 – that was the point.  This episode was mocking the hyper-sensitivity of our age, something that was already apparent 27 years ago. For Channel 4 to attach a trigger warning shows that nothing has changed. The scolds and finger-waggers are as humourless as ever.”

Laura Fox, MailOnline, 12th February 2025.

Britain Reportedly Willing to Roll Back Tech Censorship to Avoid Trump Trade War

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The founder of Britain’s Free Speech Union (FSU), Lord Young of Acton, relayed similar concerns, saying: “If Ofcom tries to fine X or Facebook 10 per cent of their global turnover for not removing content that isn’t unlawful, I predict a showdown between Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and the UK Government. If that happens, Trump will side with his tech bros and tell Sir Keir that if he wants a trade deal, he’ll call off his dogs.”

Kurt Zindulka, Breitbart, 10th February 2025.

Don’t say ‘able-bodied’ — use ‘non-disabled’, Britain’s tourist board tells guides

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Lord Young, founder of the Free Speech Union, criticised the recommendation.

He said: “What’s next? ‘Non-blind’ instead of ‘20:20 vision’? ‘Non-deaf’ instead of ‘perfect hearing’? Will we have to describe Marilyn Monroe in future as ‘non-ginger’ instead of ‘blonde’?”

Tim Sigsworth, The Telegraph, 8th February 2025.