Free speech row erupts as professor ‘sacked’ after writing paper which portrayed migrant workers in ‘negative light’

A university professor claims he has been “sacked” after writing a paper which was critical of migrant workers.

Professor Steve Fothergill said he was laid off by Sheffield Hallam University after his research found that as many as half of jobs in former coal mining areas in Britain were now taken up by migrants.

Prof Fothergill alleged that his seniors were unhappy with his paper – and did not renew his part-time contract as a result.

Now, he has laid into Sheffield Hallam – claiming the institution was mounting an “assault on academic freedom” because it “didn’t like the conclusions we came to”.

But the university has hit back, and has outright denied “any attempt to suppress the research project or its findings”.

Prof Fothergill told The Telegraph: “I was told there was an issue with the quality of the academic work, which is nonsense – the paper is a very thorough evaluation of the numbers.”

The professor’s research had looked into employment growth in ex-mining areas in England and Wales between 2011 and 2021 – and it found that almost half the jobs created had been taken by foreign workers.

His paper concluded that given the “effort, energy and funding” invested into these areas over the decade to regenerate local economies, the outcome was a “poor rate of return”.

It also suggested that the high numbers of jobs being taken by foreign workers could explain why “vast numbers” of ex-mining town residents were on out-of-work benefits.

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Prof Fothergill’s research had pushed to “better regulate migration to the UK, to bring down the numbers so that more of the benefits of local regeneration feed through to local residents”.

But just days after after an article was published referencing his research, the academic says he was called into a meeting with bosses where he was told that the university was unhappy with his work.

Sheffield Hallam had allegedly said his work had “failed to engage critically with wider debates around migration” and used language which was “at best a little careless, and at worst will be seen as offensive or inflammatory”.

Prof Fothergill said the university saw itself as “very liberal” and “didn’t want these things being said”.

He added: “There is a point of principle in this. I don’t really want to be the centre of a news story but I need to be brave and put my head above the parapet here.

“Political correctness is beginning to override academic integrity – that is how I put it. Other academics I know are really quite shocked by this behaviour.”

A spokesman for Sheffield Hallam said: “Professor Steve Fothergill is not employed by Sheffield Hallam University, he has been seconded to the University for one day per week on an external contract from another employer.

“The contract is due to end earlier than planned in January 2025 as we have taken the decision not to renew a number of external contracts due to the financial pressures being experienced right across the HE sector.

“Sheffield Hallam University takes its responsibility to protect and promote both free speech and academic freedom seriously. At no point was there any attempt to suppress the research project or its findings.”