REFORM Wales have announced they will take decisive action within 100 days of a Reform Welsh Government to protect free speech on university campuses.

As one of their first acts if they enter Cathays Park after the May elections, Reform will introduce legislation to the Senedd to create the strongest duty anywhere in the UK on higher education providers to protect free speech on campus in order to put an end to militant cancel culture and ‘no-platforming’ in Welsh universities.

Reform argues the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023, passed by the Conservatives and not yet fully implemented by Labour, is only a limited solution. The duties under the Act don’t apply in Wales, which is subject to more limited protections.

Reform's legislation will be enforced by ‘statutory tort’, allowing civil claims for any breach of the duty by affected persons, meaning that students and academics won’t be entirely reliant on Medr enforcement for redress.

Institutions that then continue to curtail open debate, in breach of new requirements, will lose public funding. This will go further than Medr’s powers under the Tertiary Education and Research (Wales) Act 2022 and Welsh Ministers will be granted specific powers to impose financial penalties on, or withdraw financial support for, non-compliant universities.

The announcement comes after Bangor University's Debating and Political Society refused to allow representatives from Reform to give a Q&A to students.

The society said Reform's 'approach to the lives of others is antithetical to the values of welcoming and fair debate'.

Dan Thomas, Leader of Reform Wales, said: “Our universities should be places of free and open discussion across the political spectrum.

’Sadly, too often we see free speech stifled in our academic institutions, and it's time to change that.

”Under my leadership, Reform UK will introduce legislation within the first 100 days of forming a government in Wales to put an end to the militant cancel culture and no-platforming in universities.

“These will be the strongest higher education free speech protections in the United Kingdom.

”That's real change for Wales.”