Unlawful' OfS ruling against University of Sussex should be quashed, court told

"A ruling by an education watchdog that led to the University of Sussex being hit with a record 585,000 fine should be quashed as unlawful, unreasonable and procedurally unfair, a court has heard. In a judicial review hearing before the high court in London on Tuesday, the university claimed it had suffered severe consequences as a result of the landmark decision last March by England's higher education regulator, the Office for Students (OfS)."

"The fine and the impact of the OfS's conclusions on the university's reputation threaten to have a significant financial impact on the university, said Chris Buttler KC, for the university, in written submissions for the hearing. This case is of public importance, he said. It concerns the scope of the OfS's powers, the institutional autonomy of universities to foster civility and tolerance on campus, and the reputation of one of this country's leading universities."

"The OfS ruling against Sussex followed a three-and-a-half year investigation, triggered by concerns about student protests targeting Kathleen Stock, a philosophy professor at the university, over her views on gender identification and transgender rights. The court was told the OfS did not have jurisdiction to investigate the treatment of Stock, who resigned from Sussex in 2021 over what she called a medieval experience of campus ostracism and protests."

The University of Sussex sought to quash a record 585,000 fine imposed by the Office for Students, arguing the ruling was unlawful, unreasonable and procedurally unfair. The university said the fine and the regulator's conclusions have caused severe reputational damage and risk significant financial harm. The OfS action followed a three-and-a-half year investigation prompted by student protests targeting Kathleen Stock over her views on gender identity and transgender rights. The university argued the regulator lacked jurisdiction over Stock's treatment and instead focused on the wording of a two-page trans and non-binary equality policy statement based on a template used by multiple universities.

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