We campaign for freedom of speech and the promotion of literature in the United Kingdom, seeking to address issues arising in relation to border regulations, libel law, and press regulation.
Ongoing Campaigns
- English PEN is concerned that much in the UK government’s recent Online Harms White Paper puts freedom of expression at risk.
- Our Libel Reform Campaign saw the introduction, in 2013, of the UK’s Defamation Act.
- Lady Chatterley’s Lover: read about our campaign to keep this important piece of literary and social history in the UK.
Previous UK Campaigns
- UK Visas for Visiting Artists – Ensuring UK border regulations are not a barrier to cultural exchange.
- English PEN participated in the debate around the Leveson Inquiry and press regulation.
- Criminal Memoirs – A campaign against the provisions in the Coroners & Justice Bill that curtail the publication of criminal memoirs.
- The Abolition of Seditious Libel and Criminal Defamation in the UK – Cleaning up the statute books.
- Free Speech is No Offence – To ensure protections for free expression in the Religious Hatred Act.
