HELP: University has cancelled my dissertation

I should start by saying I am a postgraduate student and my dissertation topic is around the upcoming online safety bill and the training/knowledge lecturers have when it come to online radicalisation.

So I got an email last Friday saying that my dissertation posed an ethical and reputational risk to my university. I then went to a meeting with the ethics person for my department on Monday. In this meeting I made several changes to questions in my lecturer interviews, of which I have already conducted 8 interviews and analysed them. I was then told earlier this week that I was able to carry on with my project as long as I did not recuit anyone else.

BUT! I got an email this morning saying that the ethics board cannot have a link between the University and Radicalisation, and that I will not be able to continue with my project, if I have gathered data not about radicalisation in the interviews I *might* be able to use this for a different project once it has undergone a new ethics review. Or the other option is to do a literature review. In less than 2 months.

I can appeal this but the decision on it won't be able to happen until the end of August, and they could still say no. I can't extend my project as I go into a full time job soon, and I have completed 80% of my dissertation already. I received ethical approval for my project months ago. Along with this lots of lectures encouraged me to pursue this to PhD level and that they would like to read my research when it is completed, but that won't happen now.

Anyone have any advice/heard about something like this before?
- I've been to the advice service
- I have submitted an official complaint

TLDR: My University have said I can't continue with my dissertation subject that I have been working on for 6 months.

Have they provided an explanation as you why you "received ethical approval for my project months ago" but are now saying that your "dissertation posed an ethical and reputational risk to my university"? What changed?

Are they effectively just saying that they've changed their minds? Or are they claiming that the research has diverged from that which was originally approved? Has it?

They have just changed their minds, I contacted lecturers about participating in my research and one of them complained to the ethics board about the subject of my project.

Well, is sounds like the lecturer who complained was the trigger here. I was initially coming at this from the perspective if, "How dare they change their collective mind at this late stage." However, I was then reminded of the fact that individuals participating in research have the right to withdraw at any time (i.e. after having initially agreed to participate, and got part-way through a study). So perhaps this is really just an extension of that right to withdrawn. It causes you enormous headaches, I realise, but I think it's probably reasonable that they have the right to say, "On reflection, ..." and withdraw their approval.

You wrote above about the fact that you "*might* be able to use this for a different project once it has undergone a new ethics review". Rather than doing a different project, is there any way to make minor modifications to the existing project and gain approval that way? Or are they just now fundamentally opposed to the whole concept of your research?

Finally, you say "I go into a full time job soon". Is that lined-up? Is it in anyway dependent on completing the PhD in a given timescale?