Pressure mounts over Oxford debate

Students invited Mr Irving, who was jailed for Holocaust denial, and Mr Griffin to take part in a freedom of speech event at the prestigious debating society.

The decision outraged equalities watchdog chief Trevor Phillips, prompted a senior Tory MP to resign his life membership of the Union and led to warnings of protests outside the debating chamber.

Equalities and Human Rights Commission chairman Mr Phillips told BBC1's Andrew Marr Show: "I think it is an absolute disgrace. As a former president of the National Union of Students I'm ashamed that this has happened."

Mr Phillips said people had not fought and died for the right to freedom of speech only for it to be used as a "silly parlour game".

Shadow defence minister Julian Lewis, who addressed the Union last week in a debate about the War on Terror, said the students should be "ashamed" of themselves. In a letter to the Union's officers and standing committee, Dr Lewis, MP for New Forest East, said he was resigning his life membership "with great sadness".

The presence of the pair on the list of speakers had prompted a series of high profile withdrawals from the platform, including Defence Secretary Des Browne.

Defending its decision, the Oxford Union Debating Society said it was important to give people of all views a platform.

Luke Tryl, the society's president, told Sky News: "I do think it is quite ridiculous to say that this is just a publicity stunt. The reason the Oxford Union was founded 184 years ago was to promote and defend freedom of speech. This is what this debate is about. It is about an opportunity to challenge David Irving and Nick Griffin.

"Nick Griffin likes nothing more than parading around in gags, saying he is being censored. I want us, the liberal mainstream, to show that we are not afraid to take him on in a debate, we will defeat him, and we will beat fascism every time."