Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Universities: Chinese Influence

Monday 1 December 2025 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Sir Gavin Williamson thanked the Secretary of State for her stance on monitoring Chinese influence in universities.
  • Nick Timothy questioned the harassment of British academics by Chinese agents and the censorship of research.
  • The Secretary of State stated that any attempt to intimidate or coerce universities will not be tolerated.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Gavin Williamson Con Stone, Great Wyrley and Penkridge
Standards & Ethics
Context

The previous government introduced legislation to monitor bodies supported by the Chinese Government. This was dropped recently.

Question

I thank the Secretary of State for her answer; I know that she takes the issue of Chinese influence incredibly seriously. The free speech legislation brought forward by the previous Government required the monitoring of bodies that are supported by the Chinese or funded and supported by the Government of China. That was dropped. Will the Secretary of State look at bringing it back?

Answer from The Secretary of State for Education (Bridget Phillipson)

I recognise the right hon. Gentleman’s long-standing interest in this area. Our national security is of the utmost importance, and the Office for Students already has extensive powers to require information from providers to investigate any breaches. If we are to introduce new reporting requirements, we must ensure that they add value without being overly burdensome, but I can be absolutely clear to the right hon. Gentleman and to this House that we expect universities to be alert to risks and to take action.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Secretary of State did not commit to bringing back the free speech legislation specifically mentioned by Sir Gavin Williamson, instead discussing existing powers and reporting requirements in general terms.

How: We Must Ensure That They Add Value Without Being Overly Burdensome

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Q2 Nick Timothy Con West Suffolk
Education Foreign Affairs Standards & Ethics
Context

Academics at British universities have been harassed by Chinese agents and pressured to censor their work. For example, Sheffield Hallam blocked research into the treatment of Uyghur Muslims.

Question

We know that academics at British universities have been harassed by Chinese agents and pressured by their own administrators to censor their work. Sheffield Hallam, for example, blocked research by Professor Laura Murphy into the treatment of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang. Ministers make noises, but we have not yet had any action. Following on from the question from my right hon. Friend the Member for Stone, Great Wyrley and Penkridge (Sir Gavin Williamson), when will the free speech legislation be enacted? Will Ministers commit to closing down every single Confucius institute in the country?

Answer from The Secretary of State for Education (Bridget Phillipson)

The hon. Gentleman references a particular institution, and the House will appreciate that I am not in a position to comment, given the ongoing investigations in that area. I can be clear to this House that any attempt to intimidate and coerce universities will not be tolerated. I should also be clear that as a country, we welcome Chinese students. Chinese students enrich our campuses and our communities. They will always be welcome, but where there is evidence of concerning behaviour or attempts to intimidate, universities can and must take action.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Secretary of State did not commit to enacting the free speech legislation nor closing down all Confucius institutes. She stated that any attempt to intimidate and coerce universities will not be tolerated but did not provide a concrete timeline or specific commitment on the measures mentioned by the hon. Gentleman.

How: Given The Ongoing Investigations In That Area

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