Majority of Britons say free speech has deteriorated under Labour, bombshell new poll finds

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Liberty director Akiko Hart said Sir Keir Starmer had failed to show 'leadership and consistency' on the issue

The majority of Britons believe their confidence in the Government's ability to protect free speech has deteriorated under Labour, a new poll has found.

Some 51 per cent said their confidence in the Government to protect their right to express views, even when those views disagree with the Government, had worsened over the past two years, according to polling commissioned for civil rights organisation Liberty.

Just 10 per cent of Britons believed their free speech rights had improved, the polling carried out by Deltapoll for Liberty revealed.

Liberty laid blame on the Home Office, citing travel bans for activists hoping to speak in the UK, the mass arrests of Palestine Action protesters and tougher approaches to protest laws.

Akiko Hart, Liberty’s director, said Sir Keir Starmer had failed to show "leadership and consistency" on free speech, which has led to claims of "two-tier" policing.

She told The Telegraph: "The new Prime Minister [Andy Burnham] must see these findings as a warning sign.

"Free speech is a fundamental right that benefits us all, and a healthy democracy depends on people feeling confident that they can express themselves freely and disagree with each other.

"We're fortunate to live in a nation shaped by many identities and perspectives which means differences of opinion and views that could upset or offend others are inevitable.

"This makes it all the more important for the new Prime Minister to adopt a non-partisan approach to free speech and move away from greater restrictions."

The survey of more than 2,000 adults found 42 per cent of Britons said their ability to express controversial political opinions without facing legal consequences had worsened.

Just nine per cent said it had improved, and another 39 per cent said it had stayed the same.

And nearly four in 10 (39 per cent) said Briton's ability to speak freely on important issues had been worsened, and their understanding of what is and is not allowed to be said under UK law had also got worse.

LATEST ATTACKS ON FREE SPEECH:

Liberty said travel bans issued to 11 speakers at Unite the Kingdom rallies in May, as well as ban on American left-wing political commentators Cenk Uyghur and his nephew Hasan Piker, who were banned from attending SXSW London and addressing the Oxford Union in June.

The new polling follows revelations a dossier on Britain's free speech crisis was shared with the White House before Sir Keir Starmer's visit last year.

The five-point briefing, prepared by the Free Speech Union (FSU), was sent to the Office of the Vice President and has now been publicly revealed by the organisation.

The FSU said it shared the dossier "not just so our members and supporters can see exactly what we told the Vice President, but also because all of the attacks on free speech we alerted him to are still very much alive".

The five-point plan included warnings against the Online Safety Act, the Investigatory Powers Act and urged ministers to stop prosecuting people for "hurty words".

JD Vance has repeatedly warned of the UK infringing on free speech, including a notable confrontation with Sir Keir Starmer in February last year.

Later that same year, the Vice President warned then-Foreign Secretary David Lammy that Britain faces a "very dark path" over free speech.

A Home Office spokesman said: "Freedom of speech and peaceful protest are fundamental rights that this Government will always protect. But there is a clear difference between expressing a view and engaging in unlawful behaviour such as inciting hatred or violence, which it is right that we address."