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What does the UK election result mean for free speech?
The future of free speech in the United Kingdom is under grave threat under the newly elected Labour government, according to critics who are concerned that the government’s radical policy agenda will adversely impact free speech.
The recent election of the Labour government led by Keir Starmer brings to an end 14 years of conservative government rule. Whether the new government will uphold and protect fundamental freedoms such as freedom of speech and freedom of religion remains to be seen, according to critics who have assessed the government’s policy manifesto and hold grave concerns.
The Prime Minister himself, however, in an interview with Premier Christianity ahead of the election, affirmed his commitment to working collaboratively with churches and upholding religious freedom rights:
“Today, Christians and the Labour Party share key values that make up the heart of who we are. We share the abiding sense of the dignity and worth of every human being, the desire to tackle injustice, and the determination to care for those who are vulnerable and find themselves on the margins of our society”.
“Labour will be a champion of religious freedom at home and abroad.
I know we sometimes take religious freedom for granted in this country but around the world, so many people don’t enjoy that right. No one should be living in fear for what they believe.”
However, critics like Toby Young, associate editor of Spectator UK and founder of the Free Speech Union, have expressed concerns about what will actually happen in practice. Young is worried “that a Labour government will bring in new laws that will criminalise vast swathes of speech that are currently legal”, citing plans such as its ‘trans inclusive’ conversion therapy ban as one example.
Similarly, Tom Slater, editor of Spiked online, is concerned that the new government’s priority will be “taking the divisive, authoritarian and reactionary identity politics that has been curdling on the left for some time and putting it into law”.
He is also concerned that the new government will legislate bans on hate speech:
“There’s also talk of beefing up laws against anti-’LGBT’+’ hate crime, which is code for knowing and saying what a woman is. A cryptic passage in its manifesto says Labour will ‘reverse the Conservatives’ decision to downgrade the monitoring of … hate’, suggesting Britain’s police will once again have free rein to collect and report those dystopian ‘non-crime hate incidents’ against the names of law abiding citizens.”
Christian Concern has also raised concerns about the future of free speech under the new government, particularly given its commitment to banning ‘conversion therapy practices”:
“This would seek to outlaw any kind of help being given to someone who wants to live as the person God made them – male or female, with sex reserved for marriage. Prayer with a pastor, Christian counselling; even books that aim to help people live chaste lives could be criminalised.
The Labour manifesto says:
Labour will finally deliver a full trans-inclusive ban on conversion practices, while protecting the freedom for people to explore their sexual orientation and gender identity”.
As Christian Concern has stated, “if passed, [conversion therapy bans] will lead to Christians self-censoring and lengthy court battles defending legitimate Christian ministries and challenging the legality of the law.”
Toby Young predicts dire consequences for society if these laws are passed:
“The bottom line is there’s a real risk that under a Labour government tens of thousands of people will find themselves in trouble for saying things that are perfectly legal at present. If you think we’ve become a society that won’t tolerate dissent from a narrow, ‘progressive’ ideology, you ain’t seen nothing yet”.
There is no doubt that many in the United Kingdom (and here in Australia) will be watching closely to see what priority the new government gives to fundamental rights and freedoms as it embarks on its legislative and policy agenda.
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