Labour is set to enforce new ‘banter cops’ in pubs as a result of their new Employment Rights Bill, free speech campaigners have warned.
In the new landmark legislation being brought forward by the government, there will be a legal requirement for companies and public bodies to take “all reasonable steps” to prevent harassment by customers.
This includes comments about “protected characteristics” such as sex, sexuality, gender or age.
Free speech campaigner Toby Young has decried the policy, warning it will mean pub landlords being turned into “banter cops” who “will be tasked with eavesdropping on customers’ conversations and barring anyone who tells an ‘inappropriate’ joke.”
Reform UK Chief Whip Lee Anderson has also blasted the policy, telling the Express it is “nanny state nonsense”.
Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds could harm free speech with his employment bill (Image: Getty)
The pub-loving party’s MP said: “Once again this government are clamping down on free speech and hammering our publicans in the process.”
“With 50 pubs closing every month in the first half of this year, they need more support than ever not this nanny state nonsense.
“Only Reform UK are committed to common sense policies.”
Similar legislation was brought forward by a Lib Dem MP last year, however the Bill was blocked by the Tories amid concerns about freedom of speech.
Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds’ bill will lead to a huge expansion of union rights, and is facing warnings that it will hurt small and medium-sized businesses.
Kate Nicholls, chief executive of UKHospitality, has said that waiters and barmen “don’t want to be policing our customers’ behaviour”, calling on the government to ensure “undue restrictions” are not imposed on patrons.
Lee Anderson blasted the announcement (Image: Lee Anderson X)
The Bill also threatens a major expansion of Tony Blair’s equality act, meaning employers will be liable for third-party harassment after three separate incidents.
As lawyer James Murray explains, this could mean that a university hosting a speech by a women’s rights campaigner could be breaking the law if they offend trans students, and will therefore be banned from hosting contentious debates.
Mr Murray argues: “The concern is that this will shift the balance away from free speech and universities will be more risk averse as they won’t want to be held liable for third-party harassment.”
Vice-chancellor of Buckingham University James Tooley told the Telegraph that the Bill is “deeply worrying” and “very dangerous” for free speech.
He said that if the new bill comes in it will kill his vice-chancellor speaker series.
“I want to be free as vice-chancellor to be able to invite people with a whole range of views – that’s what university should be about – hearing views and being challenged,”
“Given that the government has already removed other protections for free speech at universities, this is sending out a worrying message.”
