Apparently, not content with simply cracking down on speech on the internet and in the streets, Britain's left-wing Labor government is reportedly aiming to pass legislation to crack down on offensive speech supposedly made in pubs.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer's government, in an impending employment rights bill, will amend the UK's Equality Act to make it easier for employers to protect their employees if they have been offended by a “third party” such as a customer or the general public. He says he will take responsibility.
The law requires companies and public institutions to take “all reasonable steps” to prevent harassment based on so-called “protected characteristics” from occurring on their premises. telegraph paper report.
Free speech advocates say the law will force business owners such as tax collectors to employ Stasi-style speech police to comply with government orders.
Toby Young, general secretary of the Free Speech Coalition, said: “Every pub in England and Wales should have a 'joke police' tasked with eavesdropping on customer conversations and locking out people who tell 'inappropriate' jokes. Please look forward to it,” he warned.
Some warned that the law would have dire consequences for Britain's already struggling businesses. Kevin Hollinrake, the shadow business secretary and Conservative MP, said: “This agenda is being driven by wokeness and trade unions.”
“Ronald Reagan once said that if fascism were to return, it would be in the name of liberalism, the people who are considered the greatest defenders of fundamental freedoms, whether it be property or the law. People who are willing to give up basic rights, whether it's control or freedom of speech, if it doesn't align with their views.”
The potential introduction of speech police into pubs is just the latest attack on the industry by the left-wing Labor government, which is pushing to ban smoking in pub gardens and other outdoor areas. Some in the government are also reportedly calling for new restrictions on pub opening hours to prevent alcohol-related diseases.
Reform UK MP Lee Anderson comments on pub attack said The Express: “Once again, this government is suppressing free speech and hurting tax collectors in the process.”
“With 50 pubs closing every month in the first half of this year, we need support now more than ever, not this national nonsense.”
It also warned that the proposed bill would have a “chilling effect” on campuses, as universities could face lawsuits if students were offended by speakers with whom they disagreed. This comes after the Labor government had already repealed legislation specifically protecting free speech in universities.
The law firm's legal director, Doyle Clayton James Murray, explained that the new law is likely to make it more difficult for controversial speakers to address students.
“If you think about the invited speakers, let's say controversial gender-critical speakers like Julie Bindel or Kathleen Stock, someone might say, 'I'm an employee of this university. “And I think what she said was gross harassment,” you might say, somewhat disingenuously.
“The concern is that this shifts the balance away from free speech and makes universities more risk-averse because they don’t want to be held responsible for harassment by third parties.”
