The Free Speech Union

In October 2026, the Free Speech Union passed two major milestones: membership exceeded 50,000, while the number of cases it had handled since Lord Young founded the organisation in 2020 surpassed 7,000.

In this special edition of the podcast, recorded live at the 2026 Battle of Ideas festival, senior members of the FSU team take questions from the audience and discuss the organisation’s rapid growth, its approach to casework and the issue that has overtaken gender-critical speech as the dominant theme in its caseload.

Host: Connie Shaw, External Affairs Officer, the Free Speech Union

Panel: Dr Jan MacVarish, Director of National Engagement; David Rose, Director of Research and Policy; Dr Ben Jones, Director of Case Management.

Follow the Free Speech Union:

X/Twitter: https://x.com/SpeechUnion

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freespeechunion/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SpeechUnion

#freespeech #freespeechdebate

Andrew Lownie is the author of a best-selling exposé about the former Prince Andrew.

When the FSU's David Rose asks Lownie whether we have free speech about the Royal Family, his answer is blunt: “No, absolutely not.”

In this wide-ranging conversation, Lownie explains how access, patronage, legal threats and secrecy shape public discussion of the monarchy — and why he believes his determination to expose the truth made him a target of state surveillance.

Join the Free Speech Union: https://freespeechunion.org/join

JOIN THE FSU FOR A LIVE RECORDING of the podcast at the Battle of Ideas Festival on Saturday 17 October in Central London: https://www.battleofideas.org.uk/session/podcast-live-the-free-speech-union-on-the-free-speech-frontline/ (FSU members can get 20% off by clicking on the link in the members' email from 22 September 2026.)

Follow the Free Speech Union

X/Twitter: https://x.com/SpeechUnion

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freespeechunion/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SpeechUnion

Follow Andrew Lownie Substack: https://andrewlownie.substack.com/

X/Twitter: https://x.com/andrewlownie

#freespeech #princeandrew #epsteinfiles

Is Britain sleepwalking into a new censorship regime?

In this episode, Lord Young talks to Free Speech Union policy and research director David Rose about his new briefing paper, Misinformation about Misinformation, and the weak evidence being used to justify ever-tighter controls over what people can say and see online.

David argues that claims about the threat of “misinformation” are being exaggerated to legitimise a far-reaching apparatus of monitoring, regulation and suppression — one that could privilege state-approved narratives while pushing dissenting or independent voices out of view.

Join the Free Speech Union: https://freespeechunion.org/join

FOR MORE INFORMATION, read David Rose's briefing "Misinformation about Misinformation": https://freespeechunion.org/publications/misinformation-about-misinformation

JOIN US FOR A LIVE RECORDING of the podcast at the Battle of Ideas Festival on Saturday 17 October in Central London: https://www.battleofideas.org.uk/session/podcast-live-the-free-speech-union-on-the-free-speech-frontline/

(FSU members can get 20% off by clicking on the link in the members' email from 22 September 2026.)

Follow the Free Speech Union

X/Twitter: https://x.com/SpeechUnion

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freespeechunion/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SpeechUnion

#freespeech #censorshipdebate #internetfreedom

The Free Speech Union's Connie Shaw is joined by her friend and fellow activist Maeve Halligan.

They met through free speech, gender critical networks in London while undergraduates at different universities. At university, both found themselves at odds with a woke orthodoxy which seemed particularly popular among female students.

When Maeve Halligan spoke against trans activism at a Cambridge Union debate in summer 2026, her speech went viral. It was a spectacular finale to her year as founder president of the Cambridge University Society of Women (CUSW).

Maeve explains why, even though she lost the vote at the debate, she hasn't given up hope of winning over young women. 

Join the Free Speech Union: https://freespeechunion.org/join

Follow the Free Speech Union

X/Twitter: https://x.com/SpeechUnion

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freespeechunion/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SpeechUnion

JOIN US FOR A LIVE RECORDING of the podcast at the Battle of Ideas Festival on Saturday 17 October in Central London: https://www.battleofideas.org.uk/session/podcast-live-the-free-speech-union-on-the-free-speech-frontline/

(FSU members can get 20% off by clicking on the link in the members' email from 22 September 2026.)

Follow Maeve Hallgan

X/Twitter: https://x.com/@MaeveHalligan

Is Donald Trump undermining press freedom?

Veteran US journalist and SpyTalk editor and podcast host Jeff Stein joins David Rose on the Free Speech Union podcast to discuss Trump’s clashes with the media and the million-dollar defamation lawsuit that could have cost Stein his home. He explains how Substack Defender funded his successful legal defence, why costly libel actions can silence independent journalists and what his case means for free speech in the US and UK.

#freespeech #censorshipdebate #pressfreedom

Join the Free Speech Union: https://freespeechunion.org/join

Follow the Free Speech Union

X/Twitter: https://x.com/SpeechUnion

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freespeechunion/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SpeechUnion

Join us for a live recording of the podcast at the Battle of Ideas Festival on Saturday 17 October in Central London: https://www.battleofideas.org.uk/session/podcast-live-the-free-speech-union-on-the-free-speech-frontline/ (FSU members can get 20% off by clicking on the link in the members' email from 22 September 2026.)

Follow Jeff Stein Substack: https://substack.com/@spytalk

Spytalk podcast: https://www.spytalk.co/podcast

Subscribe to the Free Speech Union podcast channel for more interviews on freedom of speech, censorship, media freedom and civil liberties.