Author and professor Matt Goodwin weighs in on the state of free speech in the UK after police charged a woman for using a homophobic slur in private text messages about her alleged attacker.

“What we have in this country is an onslaught against free speech, against free expression,” Mr Goodwin told Sky News Australia.

“Which has been basically curtailing the national conversation, controlling it so we cannot speak out about these issues to do with migration, diversity.

“This is a really serious moment … this is a sinister, I would argue, coordinated attack on our free speech and free expression.”