Freedom of Expression - Contemporary Challenges in the UK
7 December 2022
Freedom of expression has been described as the ‘touchstone or cornerstone’ of all rights. In the UK system, it is considered to be one of a very small number of ‘fundamental common law rights’. It is also a ‘Convention right’ under the Human Rights Act 1998, drawn from Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (1950). However, it has always been understood as a right that can be qualified or limited by other rights or interests.
Falling a few days before Human Rights Day 2022, this seminar looked at three Bills before the UK Parliament, each of which is concerned with freedom of expression. The discussions examined the three Bills in terms of the issues and challenges they raise in relation to freedom of expression:
- Are they consistent with the historic status and importance of freedom of expression in the UK?
- Can the qualifications or limitations they impose on freedom of expression be justified?
- Are they seeking to change the balance between freedom of expression and other rights and interests?
The event was chaired by Professor Dominic McGoldrick, head of the HRLC's Civil and Political Rights unit. We were joined by a range of speakers who presented on various topics related to the: (1) Bill of Rights Bill; (2) Online Safety Bill; and (3) Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill. Speakers included:
- Paul Wragg, Professor of Media Law at the University of Leeds
- Judith Skillen, Assistant Professor in Law at University of Nottingham
- Sejal Parmar, Senior Lecturer in Law at Cardiff University
- Lorna Woods, Professor of Internet Law at the University of Essex;
- Peter Coe, Associate Professor in Law at Birmingham Law
- Nicholas Hatzis, Associate Professor in law at the University of Nottingham
- Oliver Butler, Assistant Professor in Law at the University of Nottingham
- Dominic McGoldrick, Professor of International Human Rights Law at the University of Nottingham
- Stephen Bailey, Professor of Public Law at the University of Nottingham
You can view a recording of the event here: