Free Speech in the UK

I keep seeing people online and in the comments section on news articles complaining that we don’t have free speech in this country. As a UK citizen I have never once experienced an infringement on my right to free speech, but according to the internet I am living in a ‘police state’ where ordinary people are unable to voice their opinions. It’s not even just ordinary citizens saying this, government officials in the US have expressed concern over a ‘shift away from democratic values’ and ‘retraction of civil liberties’ in the UK.

Am I missing something here? Where is all this coming from? Are we actually experiencing democratic decline or is the notion completely fabricated?