Jo Phoenix, the professor at the heart of UK academia鈥檚 gender wars, has issued a fresh call for the Westminster government to implement England鈥檚 campus free speech legislation, in the wake of a report into her exit from The Open University, which she condemned as a 鈥渨hitewash鈥�.

An employment tribunal found earlier this year that Professor Phoenix, a criminologist, was forced to quit the OU because of a 鈥渉ostile environment鈥� created by colleagues opposed to her gender-critical views and the failure of the university to protect her.

A report into the OU鈥檚 organisational culture by Dame Nicola Dandridge, former chief executive of the Office for Students, found that some staff felt that the university鈥檚 desire to be inclusive 鈥渉ad on occasions translated into excessive caution as to what could and could not be said, even when the views in question were legitimate and lawful, albeit contentious鈥� 鈥� and that this was associated with 鈥渁 potentially rigid approach that assumed that only one interpretation of principles of [equality, diversity and inclusion] was acceptable鈥�.

Dame Nicola said that the university should support those who identify as trans and non-binary, as well as 鈥渢hose with gender-critical and trans-inclusive views and perspectives鈥�, recommending that it should agree a clearly defined set of principles regarding free speech, equality and employment rights.

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But Professor Phoenix, who now works at the University of Reading, claimed that the report 鈥渕isses the point鈥� of her tribunal victory.

鈥淎s far as I鈥檓 concerned, the report does nothing. It is just a whitewash. The recommendations are unimplementable in a way that would actually get to the heart of what the problem is,鈥� she told 探花视频.

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鈥淭he report has framed the problem as a problem of academic freedom. And it never was. It was a problem with bullying. And so, in that sense, this report is neither here nor there.鈥�

Dame Nicola鈥檚 report recommended that the university should establish 鈥渁greed standards of behaviour鈥澨齮hat should be 鈥渁ligned with the OU鈥檚 values鈥� and implemented through mandatory training.

But Professor Phoenix claimed that mandating policies 鈥渋n line with the OU鈥檚 values鈥� could place restrictions on research that did not align with the institution鈥檚 principles.

Consequently, 鈥渢he OU have proved yet again why they desperately need 鈥� why we desperately need 鈥� the Labour government to implement the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act. Universities need to stop marking their own homework,鈥� Professor Phoenix said.

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The legislation, passed under the former Conservative government, would have opened the door for universities and students鈥� unions to be fined if found to have restricted academic freedom.

But it was put on hold by the new Labour government, with education secretary Bridget Phillipson citing concerns it would overburden universities and protect hate speech and antisemitic attacks.

Professor Phoenix was among more than 500 academics who recently signed an open letter urging ministers to go ahead with the new law.

鈥淭he university sector is in a perilous state at the moment. Academic freedom is being attacked, left, right and centre. It鈥檚 been politicised,鈥� Professor Phoenix said.

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While she acknowledged that university leaders 鈥渁re not bad people鈥�, she said 鈥渋nstitutional cowardice鈥� is prevalent across institutions, 鈥渟o having something like the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act, with its enforcement mechanisms, actually strengthens the arms of the v-cs to say, 鈥楽top it, settle down鈥�.鈥�

Tim Blackman, the OU鈥檚 vice-chancellor, said the Dandridge review 鈥済ives us valuable learning and insights into how we can and must change鈥�.

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鈥淎s a university we must ensure that academic freedom and freedom of speech are protected more proactively and that unacceptable behaviours are challenged and corrected whenever and wherever they occur,鈥� he said.

juliette.rowsell@timeshighereducation.com听