by Celia Walden, Telegraph
The Free Speech Union founder on defending Graham Linehan, making his late father proud and his own, very personal trial by Twitter
“Whenever I find myself worrying about becoming too successful,” deadpans Lord Young of Acton, a twitch at the corner of his mouth threatening to give way to laughter, “I just think: ‘Any moment now, another scandal will come along to engulf you’. That usually does the trick.”
I’ve been congratulating the journalist, writer and Conservative peer on the success of his Free Speech Union (FSU) – founded in 2020 to combat “cancel culture” – as it celebrates two significant milestones.
As of last week, the FSU has more than 45,000 members. But perhaps more importantly, the organisation – which offers advice and legal referrals to members who have been disciplined or dismissed by employers over speech-related issues – has now fought more than 6,000 cases. “We’re getting about 45 requests for help a week at the moment,” the 62-year-old tells me. “Last week, we had an all-time record: 20 requests for help on a single day.”