A significant and growing proportion of university students in the UK believe the Reform UK party should be barred from speaking on campuses, according to a major new poll. The findings point to an intensifying debate over free speech and so-called 'wokery' in higher education.
Record Support for 'No-Platforming' a Political Party
The survey, conducted by the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) and pollster Savanta in November, asked approximately 1,000 students for their views. It discovered that 35 per cent – more than one in three – think Reform UK should be ‘no-platformed’ at universities.
This figure represents a record high level of support for banning a political group from campus speaking events. For context, when a similar survey was run in 2022, only 26 per cent of students wanted the English Defence League banned. In 2016, the proportion supporting a ban for the British National Party stood at 31 per cent.
In contrast, the latest poll indicates that a mere 18 per cent of students believe all political parties should be granted access to university platforms.
A Broader Shift Towards Campus Censorship
The research reveals a wider trend of students becoming more supportive of restrictive policies on campus speech and content.
Support for ‘safe space policies’, which frequently limit expression that could cause offence, has surged to 79 per cent. This marks a sharp increase from 48 per cent in 2016 and 62 per cent in 2022.
Furthermore, an overwhelming 88 per cent of students now demand ‘trigger warnings’ for potentially upsetting material in their courses, up from 67 per cent in 2016. Additionally, only a quarter (25 per cent) think university libraries should stock all resources ‘regardless of content’, a steep decline from 47 per cent in 2016.
Perhaps reflecting these attitudes, nearly half of students (47 per cent) agree that ‘universities are becoming less tolerant of a wide range of viewpoints’ – double the proportion (24 per cent) who thought so in 2016.
Leadership Reaction and Legal Context
HEPI Director Nick Hillman expressed his concern at the findings regarding Reform UK. ‘I am shocked that more than one in three students support banning Reform UK from university campuses,’ he said. ‘The best way to take down democratic political parties that you disagree with is surely through free, fair and fierce debate – whether that is on campus or beyond.’
Reform UK’s deputy leader, Richard Tice, responded fiercely, calling the results ‘appalling.’ He accused universities of abandoning genuine learning to become ‘echo chambers of far-left indoctrination’ and called for the government to pull grant funding unless the culture changes.
These developments unfold against a backdrop of new legislation, enacted last year, which compels universities in England to actively promote academic freedom. The higher education regulator, the Office for Students, now holds the power to investigate institutions and levy fines if they are found to have failed in protecting free speech rights.
The issue of ‘no-platforming’ has seen several politicians affected in recent years. In 2023, a talk by former Home Secretary Suella Braverman at Cambridge University was cancelled following protests. Similarly, in 2020, her predecessor Amber Rudd had a speaking invitation at an Oxford society withdrawn just half an hour before her scheduled appearance.
Despite the strong support for various restrictive policies, the poll contained a notable contradiction: a majority of students (69 per cent) also agreed that ‘universities should never limit free speech’, a figure that has risen since 2016.
