Lord Young of Acton, a journalist, writer, and Conservative peer, marks a milestone with the Free Speech Union (FSU), an organisation he founded in 2020 to challenge what it describes as “cancel culture.” With over 45,000 members and more than 6,000 cases addressed, the FSU provides legal advice and support to individuals who face workplace discipline or dismissal over speech-related controversies. According to Young, the group currently receives approximately 45 requests for assistance weekly, reaching a record 20 in a single day recently.

Young attributes much of the FSU’s effectiveness to the threat of legal action or complaints to regulators, which often prompts employers or institutions to reconsider disciplinary steps. “If they think there’s going to be an even scarier mob on the other side,” he said, “they will often back down.”

The FSU’s origins lie in Young’s personal experience of being publicly “cancelled.” In late 2017, after being appointed to the board of England’s Office for Students—an independent higher education regulator—Young faced intense public backlash that unearthed a history of controversial social media posts. The controversy forced him to resign, resulting in significant personal and financial losses. He described the experience as the creation of a “caricature” that overshadowed his achievements, noting the impact it had on his family, including his daughter, who withdrew from school to avoid media harassment.

Young, who co-founded the West London Free School and has long advocated for traditional education, said the backlash caught him by surprise despite his controversial past as a provocateur. He views cancel culture as a modern “religion” that lacks forgiveness and fails to differentiate between individuals and their mistakes. Drawing on recent examples, including a university student facing charges over a social media post wishing harm on a public figure, Young emphasized the uncompromising nature of the movement.

Overseeing a staff of 28, the FSU handles cases that often go unnoticed but has been involved in high-profile incidents. These include defending Kristie Higgs, a school worker dismissed for Facebook posts critical of LGBTQ+ education, and Carl Borg-Neal, a bank manager involved in a contentious training session. The union also supported comedian Graham Linehan, whose comments about transgender rights led to a police investigation that was later dropped. The Metropolitan Police’s announcement that it would no longer pursue non-crime hate incidents was hailed by Young as an important development.

Young expressed concern about future government approaches to free speech, particularly under Andy Burnham, the prospective Labour leader. While portraying Starmer as authoritarian, Young suggested Burnham might adopt a more persuasive but equally restrictive stance on speech, justified by protecting vulnerable groups.

Despite perceptions that the FSU leans right-wing—due to its challenges to certain gender identity and diversity policies—Young maintains the organisation is viewpoint-neutral. He revealed that 37% of cases concern sex and gender issues, with most involving women, often self-identified leftists, defending single-sex spaces. The FSU also defends individuals regardless of personal views; for example, it represented a member supporting Palestine Action despite Young’s own position as a long-time Zionist.

The union refuses to defend cases involving bullying, intimidation, racial abuse, or criminal activity unrelated to free speech, citing an instance when it declined to back Laurence Fox following his arrest on conspiracy charges.

On pending legislation, Young voiced opposition to the government's Removal of Peerages Bill, warning it could be used politically to revoke titles without requiring criminal conviction, and speculated about personal consequences.

Reflecting on shifts in public discourse, Young acknowledged some moderation in media coverage and social media dynamics since Elon Musk’s acquisition of X (formerly Twitter). However, he cautioned that orthodoxies in workplaces, particularly in the public sector, have hardened, increasing risks for those expressing dissenting views.

Young remains sanguine about the future of free speech, noting how his own children jokingly “cancel” one another, suggesting the phenomenon may be losing its social stigma. Drawing from Andy Warhol’s famous quote, he mused that in time, “everyone will be cancelled… for 15 minutes.”