Rise in U.K. Speech-Related Offenses Driven By More New Laws

In 2025, the U.K. Times reported that police in England and Wales arrest 33 people per day — more than 12,100 per year — for speech offenses under Section 127 of the Communications Act (2003) or Section 1 of the Malicious Communications Act (1988). That alarming figure made headlines even in American publications, and it is regularly cited in discussions about England’s deterioration. In fact, Elon Musk himself has described the statistic as “insane.”

But that claim is severely misleading because it is limited to just two offense classifications and therefore downplays the abysmal state of free expression across the pond. A new study by an academic at Cardiff University in Wales analyzed police data across a much larger range of speech categories and distinguished between what it calls “core” and “non-core” crimes.

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Abigail Anthony

Abigail Anthony is a staff writer at National Review.

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In 2025, the U.K. Times reported that police in England and Wales arrest 33 people per day — more than 12,100 per year — for speech offenses under Section 127 of the Communications Act (2003) or Section 1 of the Malicious Communications Act (1988). That alarming figure made headlines even in American publications, and it is regularly cited in discussions about England’s deterioration. In fact, Elon Musk himself has described the statistic as “insane.”

But that claim is severely misleading because it is limited to just two offense classifications and therefore downplays the abysmal state of free expression across the pond. A new study by an academic at Cardiff University in Wales analyzed police data across a much larger range of speech categories and distinguished between what it calls “core” and “non-core” crimes.