The Third Annual Freedom Festival

The Margaret Thatcher Centre, in conjunction with the Freedom Association and the University of Buckingham, is delighted to invite you to its third Freedom Festival at the University's Vinson Centre on Saturday, 22 March 2025 from 9.30am to Sunday, 23 March 2025 at 1.00pm.

Through a series of keynote addresses, panel discussions and armchair-style interviews, this two-day conference will explore issues relating to freedom of expression, the cancel culture and the role of the rule of law and natural justice in modern society.

Among those invited to speak are prominent MPs, Peers, academics, lawyers and journalists. The first day of the conference will conclude with a drinks reception and three-course gala dinner at the nearby Villers Hotel concluding at 10pm.

The conference is aimed at individuals of all ages, including students, who are interested in how best to promote the ideas of freedom, democracy and the rule of law that were at the heart of Margaret Thatcher's beliefs. It promises to be an enjoyable and stimulating day.

Among the 22 speakers already confirmed are:

• The Rt Hon The Lord Frost CMG PC
• The Rt Hon The Lord Hannan of Kingsclere
• The Rt Hon Sir Conor Burns
• Greg Smith MP
• Professor James Tooley
• Professor Eric Kaufmann
• Professor Matt Goodwin
• Professor Doug Stokes
• Iain Dale, Publisher & Broadcaster
• Nana Akua, GB News
• Mark Littlewood, Popular Conservatism
• Tim Scott, The Freedom Association
• James Price, The Adam Institute
• Dan Wootton, Journalist & Broadcaster
• Allison Pearson, The Daily Telegraph
• Brendan O'Neill, Spiked Online
• Dr Bryn Harris, The Free Speech Union
• Giles Dilnot, ConservativeHome.com
• David Campbell Bannerman, Conservative Democratic Organisation

Thanks to the generosity of the Centre's supporters, tickets to this event are heavily subsidised. Tickets are therefore likely to sell out quickly.

• Freedom Festival Two-Day Pass (conference only, including tea/coffee upon arrival, mid-morning and mid-afternoon and Saturday sandwich lunch): £25 (£5 for students in full-time education)
• Freedom Festival Two-Day Pass (also including drinks reception and three-course gala dinner): £75 (£25 for students in full-time education)

Buckingham is 50 miles from London and 20 miles from Oxford. It is easily accessible by road and rail. Travel subsidies will be available upon application to students in full-time education.

Limited accommodation is available at the nearby Villiers Hotel (8 minutes' walk from the Vinson Centre) and there is a special conference rate available to a limited number of attendees on a first come, first served basis: please contact us for more details. Alternatively, cost-effective accommodation may also be available nearby at:

• The White Hart Hotel (8 minutes' walk from the Vinson Centre)
• The Travelodge Hotel (5 minutes' drive from the Vinson Centre)
• The Premier Inn (5 minutes' drive from the Vinson Centre)

Priority will be given to those who have attended past events hosted by the Margaret Thatcher Centre and its supporters.

Right of admission is reserved.

"More than they wanted freedom, the Athenians wanted security. Yet they lost everything—security, comfort, and freedom. This was because they wanted not to give to society, but for society to give to them. The freedom they were seeking was freedom from responsibility. It is no wonder, then, that they ceased to be free.“ - Margaret Thatcher, The Moral Foundations of Society, Imprimis, March 1995.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Vinson Centre for the Public Understanding of Economics and Entrepreneurship, 21 Hunter Street, Buckingham, United Kingdom