Below is a list of political societies at UK universities, in order of age, with links to the relevant Wikipedia articles for the more notable ones.
Name | Coverage | Type | Party Affiliation | Founded | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Diagnostic Society of Edinburgh(as Dialectic Society) | University of Edinburgh | Debating society | All/None | 1787 | ||||||||
Cambridge Union | Cambridge University | Debating society | All/None | 1815 | ||||||||
Oxford Union | Oxford University | Debating society | All/None | 1823 | ||||||||
University College London (UCL) Union Debating Society (as Literary and Philosophical Society) | University College London | Debating society | All/None | 1829 | ||||||||
Glasgow University Liberal Democrats(as Glasgow University Liberal Club) | University of Glasgow | Political party branch | Liberal Democrats | 1828 | ||||||||
Glasgow University Conservative Association(as The Peel Club) | Glasgow University | Political party branch | Conservative | 1836 | ||||||||
Durham Union | Durham University | Debating society | All/None | 1842 | ||||||||
University of Aberdeen Debater (as King's College Debating Society) | University of Aberdeen | Debating society | All/None | 1848 | ||||||||
Queen's University Literary and Scientific Society | Queen's University Belfast | Debating society | All/None | 1850 | ||||||||
King's College London Conservative Association | King's College London | Political party branch | Conservative | 1861 | ||||||||
Glasgow University Dialectic Society | Glasgow University | Debating society | All/None | 1861 | ||||||||
Edinburgh University Conservative and Unionist Association | University of Edinburgh | Political party branch | Conservative | 1862 | ||||||||
The Union Society of King's College, London | King's College London | Debating society | All/None | 1873[1] | ||||||||
University of Aberdeen Conservative and Unionist Association | University of Aberdeen | Political party branch | Conservative | 1881 | ||||||||
Edinburgh University Socialist Society | University of Edinburgh | Political organisation | All/None | 1884 | ||||||||
Imperial College Debating Society | Imperial College London | Debating society | All/None | 1886 | ||||||||
Cambridge Student Liberal Democrats(as Cambridge University Liberal Club) | Cambridge University | Political party branch | Liberal | 1886 | ||||||||
University of St. Andrew's Union Debating Society | University of St. Andrew's | Debating society | All/None | 1890 | ||||||||
Liberal Youth(as National League of Young Liberals) | United Kingdom | National youth wing | Liberal | 1903 | ||||||||
Cambridge Universities Labour Club(as Cambridge University Fabian Society) | Cambridge University | Political party branch | Labour | 1905 | ||||||||
Conservative Future (as Junior Imperial and Constitutional League) | United Kingdom | National youth wing | Conservative | 1906 | ||||||||
University College London (UCL) Conservative Society | University College London | Political party branch | Conservative | 1908 | ||||||||
Oxford University Liberal Democrats(as Oxford University Liberal Club) | Oxford University | Political party branch | Liberal | 1913 | ||||||||
Oxford University Labour Club | Oxford University | Political party branch | Labour | 1919 | ||||||||
Cambridge University | Political party branch | Conservative | 1921 | |||||||||
Oxford Conservative Association(as Oxford University Conservative Association) | Oxford University | Political party branch | Conservative | 1924 | ||||||||
Glasgow University Scottish Nationalist Association | Glasgow University | Political party branch | Scottish National Party | 1927 | ||||||||
Nottingham University Conservative Association (as Nottingham University Conservative and Unionist Association) | University of Nottingham | Political party branch | Conservative | 1933 | ||||||||
Glasgow University Labour Club | Glasgow University | Political party branch | Labour | 1946 | ||||||||
Queen Mary Labour Society(as Queen Mary Labour Club) | Queen Mary, University of London | Political party branch | Labour | 1947 | ||||||||
Edinburgh University Liberal Democrats(as Edinburgh University Liberal Club) | Edinburgh University | Political party branch | Liberal | 1955 | ||||||||
University of York Conservative and Unionist Association(as University of York Conservative Association) | University of York | Political party branch | Conservative | 1963 | ||||||||
University of Warwick Conservative Association | University of Warwick | Political party branch | Conservative | 1965 | ||||||||
Warwick Politics Society | University of Warwick | Politics Society | None | 1967 | ||||||||
University of York Labour Club (UYLC) | University of York | Political party branch | Labour | 1968 | ||||||||
Labour Students(as National Organisation of Labour Students) | United Kingdom | National youth wing | Labour | 1970 | ||||||||
Oxford Hayek Society | Oxford University | Political Discussion Group | None | 1983 | ||||||||
Manchester Debating Union | Manchester University | Debating society | None/All | 1996 | ||||||||
Manchester Young Conservatives | University of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University, University of Salford | Political party branch | Conservative | |||||||||
Communist Students (Autonomous) | United Kingdom | Political organisation | None | 2006 | ||||||||
The York Politics Society | University of York | Political organisation | All/None | 2009 | ||||||||
The Wilberforce Society | University of Cambridge | Think tank | None | 2009 | ||||||||
Warwick Think Tank Society | University of Warwick | Think tank | None | 2010 | ||||||||
King's College London Think Tank Society | King's College London | Think tank | None | 2010 | ||||||||
King's College London Labour Society | King's College London | Political Party Branch | Labour | 2011 | ||||||||
Imperial College London Conservative Association | Imperial College London | Political party branch/Political Forum | Conservative | pre-2013 | ||||||||
York Dialectic Union(as York Union) | University of York | Debating society | None | 2013 | ||||||||
ORACLE - Political Information Forum | University of Central Lancashire | Non-partisan political organisation | None | 2015 | ||||||||
Birkbeck Politics Society | Birkbeck, University of London | Politics Society | None | 2019 | ||||||||
LJMU Political Society | Liverpool John Moores University | Politics Society | None | 2019 | ||||||||
University of Dundee Socialist Society | University of Dundee | Activist Organisation | None | 2021 |