Overview
- A Savanta survey of 1,012 undergraduates in November 2025 found 35% would bar Reform UK from university events, with only 18% saying all parties should be allowed to speak.
- Smaller shares backed bans on other parties, including Labour (16%), the Conservatives (12%), the Greens (7%) and the Liberal Democrats (6%).
- Despite the prohibitions, 69% said universities should never restrict free speech and 71% supported the law requiring institutions to promote it.
- Students reported confidence in speaking freely (90%) yet rising concern over tolerance, with 47% saying campuses are less accepting of diverse viewpoints compared with 24% in 2016.
- HEPI’s Nick Hillman urged debate rather than bans, while Reform UK’s Richard Tice condemned the findings and urged the government to withhold grant funding unless universities change.