Free-speech tsar Arif Ahmed set to defend all views

Prof Arif Ahmed has said he will defend "all views", following his appointment as the first director for freedom of speech and academic freedom at the Office for Students (OfS).

Prof Ahmed will have responsibility for investigating breaches of the Freedom of Speech Act in England.

The Department for Education said the appointment was "a huge step forward".

In a letter to the Times, he wrote about the "urgent threats" to academic freedom in universities.

Prof Ahmed, a professor of philosophy at the University of Cambridge, said breaches of the new law could include "cancelling a talk on women's rights due to internal political pressure, or disciplining a lecturer for provocative anti-monarchist tweets".

Higher education providers and student unions which fail to comply may face sanctions, including fines.

His role will also oversee a new complaints scheme for students, staff and visiting speakers who could seek compensation if they suffer from a breach of a university's free speech obligations.

His letter promised to defend free speech within the law "for all views and approaches - post-colonial theory as much as gender-critical feminism".

The announcement follows a demonstration by hundreds of people, who gathered outside the Oxford Union to protest against a talk by the gender-critical academic, Kathleen Stock on Tuesday.

Protesters said they were opposed to the use of the Oxford Union platform to express anti-trans views.

Speaking before the scheduled event, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the talk should be allowed to go ahead.

• Universities face fines over free speech breaches

• Hundreds protest at gender-critical academic talk

The Department for Education said the Freedom of Speech Act, which became law in May, would help to protect the reputation of universities "as centres of academic freedom". It will also see student unions held to the same legal responsibilities as universities and their colleges to "take reasonably practicable steps to ensure lawful freedom of speech", it said.

Susan Lapworth, chief executive of the Office for Students, said the appointment of Prof Ahmed would bring "an important academic perspective" to their work in this area.

Universities UK, which represents 140 universities across the UK, said universities take their responsibility to protect and promote both free speech and academic freedom "seriously", and "work hard to ensure that these concepts are understood by the whole university community".

Providers continue "to oppose all forms of harassment and discrimination", it added.

Claire Coutinho, minister for children, families and wellbeing, said: "We're making history with the Freedom of Speech Act, ensuring that fear does not undermine the rights of students and academics to debate controversial ideas and securing the right to an open exchange of ideas in universities."

"Getting this balance right is not always straightforward or easy, but by working collaboratively we can protect the important role that universities play in the pursuit of truth and free exchange of ideas."

Prof Ahmed will begin his role later in the summer.