University students have claimed they feel pressured into writing essays which pander to the “anti-Brexit bias” of lecturers amid fears they will otherwise be marked down, The Telegraph can reveal.

Students from across the country have alleged that free debate on Brexit is being “shut down” by pro-Remain lecturers at some of Britain’s top universities.

They include undergraduates studying law, politics and PPE degrees, who claim their faculties have created a “hostile” environment which is deterring some with dissenting views from speaking out.

The disclosures have prompted concern among MPs and university leaders, who are concerned that pervasive anti-Brexit views may be limiting freedom of speech and academic freedom.

The Telegraph understands that the new Office for Students (OfS), a regulator with powers to strip universities of their degree-awarding status, will now monitor the issue as part of its duty to uphold free speech on university campuses.