Champion select

As the Wharton row rumbles on, another controversial appointment is expected at the OfS

There has been no let-up in higher education policy developments in recent months—and this week the deluge is set to continue, with reports over the weekend suggesting that a “free speech champion” is to be appointed at the Office for Students.

According to The Telegraph, education secretary Gavin Williamson is set to announce the creation of the position as early as tomorrow. The government has made no secret of its belief that university campuses are microcosms of a wider ‘cancel culture’ that ministers are determined to wipe out as part of a ‘war on woke’. The role of free speech champion at the OfS is expected to come with powers to impose fines on providers or student unions that “restrict speech unlawfully, and order redress if individuals have been dismissed or demoted for their views”, as The Telegraph describes it.