Barrister who the profession tried to expel for his social conservatism. Exonerated & now using law to champion free speech for himself & others.
London, England
Joined March 2011
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I’m determined to cancel cancel culture, as the @SpeechUnion puts it:
• why? See my Daily Telegraph article:
telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/07…
• how? See my @Prosperity_Inst report:
prosperity.com/media-publica…
Exonerated barrister Jon Holbrook retweeted
We had a fantastic event last night discussing the greatest threat to free speech today, with Jacob Mchangama and Jon Holbrook, hosted by the FSU’s General Secretary, Lord Young of Acton.
Many thanks to everyone who attended!
The fight for free speech has never been more important.
Exonerated barrister Jon Holbrook retweeted
An excellent #FreeSpeechUnion (@SpeechUnion) member's Zoom call tonight. One of the best!
'WHAT IS THE GREATEST THREAT TO FREE SPEECH TODAY?' with guest speakers Jon Holbrook and Jacob Mchangama (both now followed).
The event had my agreement flit back and forth between you both, but overall I agreed with Jacob on most points.
Free speech is the cushion that protects us from violence. We need more of it.
Non-members and members that missed it might be able to catch it on the FSU's YouTube channel.
@JonHolb 👏🏻
@JMchangama 👏🏻
@toadmeister 👏🏻
@janmacvarish 👏🏻
youtube.com/@TheFreeSpeechUn…
Exonerated barrister Jon Holbrook retweeted
Tonight, near Moorgate 🚇, 7:30pm, I’ll be discussing free speech with:
@toadmeister Toby Young
@JMchangama Jacob Mchangama
Come along
@SpeechUnion
freespeechunion.telltix.com/…
Tonight, near Moorgate 🚇, 7:30pm, I’ll be discussing free speech with:
@toadmeister Toby Young
@JMchangama Jacob Mchangama
Come along
@SpeechUnion
freespeechunion.telltix.com/…
This Wednesday I’ll be discussing free speech in light of my recent report on Reversing Britain’s Free Speech Recession:
prosperity.com/media-publica…
🤔 WHAT IS THE GREATEST THREAT TO FREE SPEECH TODAY?
Come and find out at our event in London on 14 October.
Lord Young of Acton, General Secretary of the Free Speech Union, will host a debate between two passionate defenders of free speech on how best to understand and reverse the current “free speech recession”.
Jacob Mchangama, co-author of The Future of Free Speech: Reversing the Global Decline of Democracy’s Most Essential Freedom, will offer an international perspective. He will discuss how governments of all political persuasions are restricting speech in the name of national security, child protection and even the defence of democracy itself.
Barrister Jon Holbrook will focus on Britain and how we got here. His recent report, Reversing Britain’s Free Speech Recession, traces developments since the 1960s and examines how expanding notions of “harm” have introduced subjective ideas of emotional damage into criminal law, curbing rather than expanding our liberties.
Both speakers will also suggest ways to tackle the crisis.
Find out more details and get your tickets below 👇
Exonerated barrister Jon Holbrook retweeted
🤔 WHAT IS THE GREATEST THREAT TO FREE SPEECH TODAY?
Come and find out at our event in London on 14 October.
Lord Young of Acton, General Secretary of the Free Speech Union, will host a debate between two passionate defenders of free speech on how best to understand and reverse the current “free speech recession”.
Jacob Mchangama, co-author of The Future of Free Speech: Reversing the Global Decline of Democracy’s Most Essential Freedom, will offer an international perspective. He will discuss how governments of all political persuasions are restricting speech in the name of national security, child protection and even the defence of democracy itself.
Barrister Jon Holbrook will focus on Britain and how we got here. His recent report, Reversing Britain’s Free Speech Recession, traces developments since the 1960s and examines how expanding notions of “harm” have introduced subjective ideas of emotional damage into criminal law, curbing rather than expanding our liberties.
Both speakers will also suggest ways to tackle the crisis.
Find out more details and get your tickets below 👇
Now with @policylaila Laila Cunningham added to the panel! 🧨
My answer, by the way, is 'yes & no'. Come along to see which bits should be for the chop.
@acadofideas
Should we scrap The Equality Act?
Battle of Ideas, Sun 18 Oct, London:
@ShahrarAli
@Jebadoo2
@SehgalCuthbert
Me
Early bird tickets available for 6 days
#battlefest @acadofideas battleofideas.org.uk/session…
Today's Times Law newsletter. A couple of sensible views here on retrospective legislation:
@reformparty_uk
I’ll be discussing how to reverse the UK’s free speech recession with:
• Jacob Mchangama @JMchangama
• Toby Young (chair) @toadmeister
on 14 October, London, EC2V
freespeechunion.telltix.com/…
Exonerated barrister Jon Holbrook retweeted
THURSDAY will be the LAST DAY to buy EARLY-BIRD tickets for the 2026 BATTLE OF IDEAS...
120+ SESSIONS, 400+ SPEAKERS, 3500+ ATTENDEES
📅17&18 OCTOBER
📍London, Westminster
Conversations for the public, with the public, in public...
LINK👇
Should we scrap The Equality Act?
Battle of Ideas, Sun 18 Oct, London:
@ShahrarAli
@Jebadoo2
@SehgalCuthbert
Me
Early bird tickets available for 6 days
#battlefest @acadofideas battleofideas.org.uk/session…
Another belief discrimination victory results in a confidential settlement.
Dr Randall said "seven years have been taken from me" by the case.
"No minister, teacher or chaplain should be punished for upholding Christian teaching in a Christian setting.“ bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8e3…
Exonerated barrister Jon Holbrook retweeted
🚨BREAKING🚨
We've just installed giant billboards in London to stop the censorship crisis in Britain - pushing back censorial laws & speech policing.
@andyburnham launch a free speech reset now.
Join the fight to restore free speech in Britain⤵️
bigbrotherwatch.org.uk/
Exonerated barrister Jon Holbrook retweeted
US threatens Miliband with reprisals over Israel sanctions
Miliband is kowtowing to antisemitic Jew haters in Labour
He’s endangering British Jews as antisemites will feel emboldened
He’s endangering our security intelligence from US & Israel
telegraph.co.uk/politics/202…
Exonerated barrister Jon Holbrook retweeted
BREAKING 🚨Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch absolutely scathing of the planned announcements on Israel.
"Labour’s obsession with Israel is rooted in UK politics. It’s got less to do with peace in the Middle East, and more to do with trying to keep the peace in the Labour party.
British Jews should not have to watch politicians condemn antisemitism while refusing to confront the ideological movements that spread it. They should not have to listen to warm words from Downing Street while seeing Israel relentlessly presented as an international pariah.
And everyone in Britain should care.
Because this is about something larger than Israel. We cannot have a government whose political inclination at every point is to surrender, whether it is on Chagos, or at Villa Park.
The government should spend less time pandering to its partisan base and more time fixing our broken economy and getting this country back on track.
Stop allowing factional and electoral pressures to determine Britain's relationships with its allies.
You cannot claim to fight antisemitism while helping to create the political climate in which hatred of the Jewish state is used as to win votes at elections."
Labour’s anti-Israel obsession shows it hasn’t changed since Jeremy Corbyn was leader
thejc.com/opinion/labours-an…
What am I missing?
“the making of donations to a registered party” surely requires “the making of donations to Reform UK”.
On what basis can a donation to a polling company - encouraged by Reform - fall within the ambit of a donation to Reform, for the purposes of a crime?
A dry legal thread on Section 61(1) of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000, “Offences concerned with evasion of restrictions on donations”, which reads,
61.—(1) A person commits an offence if he—
(a) knowingly enters into, or
(b) knowingly does any act in furtherance of any arrangement which facilitates or is likely to facilitate, whether by means of any concealment or disguise or otherwise, the making of donations to a registered party by any person or body other than a permissible donor.
“James Orr will come out of this chastened, humbled, but stronger”
Having acted for several targets of cancel culture I know them all 2b courageous & strong, but they need support.
I support @jtworr as a man of strong moral & political principle & conviction.
Nuanced and moving Substack piece by @roddreher about @jtworr, as a man and a friend, aside from any politics or scandal. He writes:
‘There will no doubt be people in the days and weeks to come who say, “James Orr? Never knew the man,” even though they were friends. I am not and will never be one of them.’
I, too, am not one of them.
substack.com/home/post/p-214…
Labour’s equality laws are backfiring for the Left.
Four of my clients are mentioned here:
• Patrick Lee
• Sean Corby
• Dan Cooper
• Daniel Matchett
They’re all fighting for justice against cancel culture. telegraph.co.uk/gift/c1c7bb4…
Exonerated barrister Jon Holbrook retweeted
S127 of the Communications Act is one of the worst anti-speech laws in Britain. It sets the bar for criminality so low that it any speech someone deems offensive could warrant prison time. Read @JonHolb's paper for @Prosperity_Inst on this here:
prosperity.com/media-publica…
A private group chat is no defence against Section 127 of the Communications Act 2003.
Even if all participants are in on the joke and didn't find it offensive, if these messages ever reach the police and they believe the messages reach a high enough threshold, you can be prosecuted, have a criminal record and potentially be jailed.
In this era of cancel culture (where indirect pressure is used to silence legitimate views) it’s easy to forget that there’s a more direct threat to free speech: defamation.
Well done @OliverKamm in standing firm against Zarah Sultana MP & @BindmansLLP
