In March this year, the University of Sussex was ordered to pay a record fine of £585,000 by the Office for Students for failing to uphold freedom of speech and academic freedom. This followed an investigation into the university’s handling of the case of Professor Kathleen Stock, who resigned after protesters targeted her over her views on gender identification and transgender rights. The case raises questions about the balance between enforcing statutory duties, including to prevent harassment and hate speech, and ensuring academic freedom and freedom of speech. This may prompt further investigations and the Office for Students has indicated that there is the potential for future fines to be higher.