A new poll has revealed widespread public concern regarding the erosion of freedom of speech in the United Kingdom under the current Labour government.
| PULSE POINTS |
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: Most Britons believe that freedom of speech has worsened under the ruling Labour Party, according to a new poll. 📺 DETAIL: According to a poll conducted by Deltapoll, an independent polling firm, and commissioned by Liberty, a civil liberties organization, 51 percent of Britons say their confidence in the government to protect freedom of speech has worsened over the last two years. The poll revealed that 42 percent noted a decline in their ability to express controversial political opinions without legal consequences. In contrast, only nine percent said free speech protections had improved, while 39 percent of Britons said conditions had stayed the same. The poll also revealed that 39 percent of Britons believe that their ability to speak freely on important issues has worsened under Labour, which regained office after 14 years in opposition in July 2024. Britons also stated that they are less sure about what is and isn’t legal speech. Liberty attributed the decline in free speech confidence to policies such as travel bans on activists, mass arrests of protesters, and stricter protest laws. The organization highlighted bans on speakers at activist Tommy Robinson’s Unite the Kingdom rallies and American far-left commentators Cenk Uyghur and Hasan Piker. The pollsters surveyed more than 2,000 adults. 💬 KEY QUOTE: “The new Prime Minister [Andy Burnham] must see these findings as a warning sign. Free speech is a fundamental right that benefits us all, and a healthy democracy depends on people feeling confident that they can express themselves freely and disagree with each other.” – Akiko Hart, Liberty’s Director 🎯 IMPACT: The findings reinforce the already widespread belief that freedom of speech has effectively disappeared in Britain, especially under Labour. This data is likely to compound ongoing calls to liberalize the country’s speech laws and promote tolerance over self-censorship. 📺 FLASHBACK: The U.S. Department of State has previously expressed concerns that the United Kingdom is backsliding on freedom of speech. In early June, the State Department condemned the rise of two-tier policing in the country. “Ideological conditioning and two-tiered policing are glaring symptoms of civilizational decline. They must be rejected across the West,” the Department announced on X (formerly Twitter). |
Image by Lauren Hurley / No 10 Downing Street.
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