Students must stand up, says watchdog

The “safe space” culture set up by student unions in universities has gone “too far”, the chairman of the Office for Students has warned. Sir Michael Barber told vicechancellors at a higher education conference in North Greenwich, London, that universities must encourage free exchange of ideas and rigorous debate, rather than “protecting” students from views they disagree with. He added that safe space policies have “certainly been taken too far”.

He said: “The way to confront speech you don’t agree with is by taking it on, not running away from it.”