High Court overturns £585,000 OfS fine on Sussex

The High Court has overturned a record £585,000 fine imposed on the University of Sussex by England's higher education regulator, the Office for Students (OfS), following a three-and-a-half-year investigation into the university's handling of protests against former philosophy professor Kathleen Stock.

In a judgment delivered on Wednesday by Mrs Justice Lieven, the court ruled in favor of the university's judicial review challenge, finding that the OfS decision was unlawful. The regulator had concluded in March 2025 that the university's Trans and Non-Binary Equality Policy Statement breached its registration conditions by risking a chilling effect on lawful free speech among staff and students. This stemmed from events in 2021, when Professor Stock resigned in October after facing protests, death threats, and harassment over her gender-critical views. Police advised her at times to avoid campus, and student groups called for her dismissal.

The OfS investigation examined whether the university complied with its legal duties under the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023, determining that the policy—updated in 2022 and 2023—failed to adequately protect academic freedom...