Clause 3 - Civil claims

Part of Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill – in a Public Bill Committee am 3:45 pm ar 20 Medi 2021.

Danfonwch hysbysiad imi am ddadleuon fel hyn

Photo of Matt Western Matt Western Shadow Minister (Education) 3:45, 20 Medi 2021

I absolutely take on board the hon. Lady’s point. I can answer her question honestly, and say that I have been involved in litigation at least once. I agree that young people would not enter into it lightly, and nor would academics of older years. It can be utterly corrosive to the individual and quite self-destructive; it is the sort of thing that people would want to avoid. My point is that some people will, through organisations, seek to engineer circumstances that play into their machinations on campus. We have to be extremely careful of that, because those people can be incredibly well-funded, as was made clear in the point I mentioned earlier.