Laurence Fox thinks he’s the Saint Sebastian of free speech – don’t make me laugh

The resting actor’s brand of (losing) the libel lottery doesn’t make him a brave heretic, writes Alan Rusbridger. For him and a new gang of super-rich culture warrior backers, the gravest threat in the world today it seems is not poverty, disease or climate change – but woke. And TV stations and newspapers are lining up to give the lunatic fringe a platform...

Laurence Fox lost a libel case in which he called several tweeters paedophiles (PA)

Do you worry about your right to speak your mind? Are you constantly biting your lip rather than saying what you think? Are you just dying to use the P word but daren’t because, let’s face it, life in Britain today is like living under Stalin?

If so, you’ll be devastated by the knock-back that Laurence Fox, resting actor and would-be political saviour, received in the libel courts this week. He, like you, is dying to get all that stuff off his chest – but says he can’t. As he tweeted forlornly after the verdict: “We are close… to losing everything which made Britain great. Equality under the law. Policing without fear or favour. Army and navy gone woke. Championing Britain = racist. Loving your country = see above.” The end is nigh.

Elsewhere on Twitter/X, Fox lamented “the ridiculous language policing where it’s ok to shorten. “Australian” to “Aussie” but to shorten “Pakistani” to “Paki” is in some way a mortal sin. Makes zero sense.”