List of UK student political societies

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 FoundedDiagnostic Society of Edinburgh (as Dialectic Society)University of EdinburghDebating societyAll/None1787Cambridge UnionCambridge UniversityDebating societyAll/None1815Oxford UnionOxford UniversityDebating societyAll/None1823University College London (UCL) Union Debating Society (as Literary and Philosophical Society)University College LondonDebating societyAll/None1829Glasgow University Liberal Democrats (as Glasgow University Liberal Club)University of GlasgowPolitical party branchLiberal Democrats1828Glasgow University Conservative Association (as The Peel Club)Glasgow UniversityPolitical party branchConservative1836Durham UnionDurham UniversityDebating societyAll/None1842University of Aberdeen Debater (as King's College Debating Society)University of AberdeenDebating societyAll/None1848Queen's University Literary and Scientific SocietyQueen's University BelfastDebating societyAll/None1850King's College London Conservative AssociationKing's College LondonPolitical party branchConservative1861Glasgow University Dialectic SocietyGlasgow UniversityDebating societyAll/None1861Edinburgh University Conservative and Unionist AssociationUniversity of EdinburghPolitical party branchConservative1862The Union Society of King's College, LondonKing's College LondonDebating societyAll/None1873University of Aberdeen Conservative and Unionist AssociationUniversity of AberdeenPolitical party branchConservative1881Edinburgh University Socialist SocietyUniversity of EdinburghPolitical organisationAll/None1884Imperial College Debating SocietyImperial College LondonDebating societyAll/None1886Cambridge University Liberal Association (as Cambridge University Liberal Club)Cambridge UniversityPolitical party branchLiberal1886Edinburgh University Debates UnionUniversity of EdinburghDebating societyAll/None1890University of St. Andrew's Union Debating SocietyUniversity of St. Andrew'sDebating societyAll/None1890Liberal Youth (as National League of Young Liberals)United KingdomNational youth wingLiberal1903Cambridge Universities Labour Club (as Cambridge University Fabian Society)Cambridge UniversityPolitical party branchLabour1905Conservative Future (as Junior Imperial and Constitutional League)United KingdomNational youth wingConservative1906University College London (UCL) Conservative SocietyUniversity College LondonPolitical party branchConservative1908Oxford University Liberal Democrats (as Oxford University Liberal Club)Oxford UniversityPolitical party branchLiberal1913Oxford University Labour ClubOxford UniversityPolitical party branchLabour1919Cambridge University Conservative Association Cambridge UniversityPolitical party branchConservative1921Oxford Conservative Association (as Oxford University Conservative Association)Oxford UniversityPolitical party branchConservative1924Glasgow University Scottish Nationalist AssociationGlasgow UniversityPolitical party branchScottish National Party1927Nottingham University Conservative Association (as Nottingham University Conservative and Unionist Association)University of NottinghamPolitical party branchConservative1933Glasgow University Labour ClubGlasgow UniversityPolitical party branchLabour1946Queen Mary Labour Society (as Queen Mary Labour Club)Queen Mary, University of LondonPolitical party branchLabour1947Edinburgh University Liberal Democrats (as Edinburgh University Liberal Club)Edinburgh UniversityPolitical party branchLiberal1955University of York Conservative and Unionist Association (as University of York Conservative Association)University of YorkPolitical party branchConservative1963University of Warwick Conservative AssociationUniversity of WarwickPolitical party branchConservative1965Warwick Politics SocietyUniversity of WarwickPolitics SocietyNone1967University of York Labour Club (UYLC)University of YorkPolitical party branchLabour1968Labour Students (as National Organisation of Labour Students)United KingdomNational youth wingLabour1970Oxford Hayek SocietyOxford UniversityPolitical Discussion GroupNone1983Manchester Debating UnionManchester UniversityDebating societyNone/All1996Manchester Young ConservativesUniversity of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University, University of SalfordPolitical party branchConservativeCommunist Students (Autonomous)United KingdomPolitical organisationNone2006 The York Politics SocietyUniversity of York Political organisationAll/None 2009The Wilberforce SocietyUniversity of CambridgeThink tankNone2009Warwick Think Tank SocietyUniversity of WarwickThink tankNone2010King's College London Think Tank SocietyKing's College LondonThink tankNone2010King's College London Labour SocietyKing's College LondonPolitical Party BranchLabour2011Imperial College London Conservative AssociationImperial College LondonPolitical party branch/Political ForumConservativepre-2013York Dialectic Union (as York Union)University of YorkDebating societyNone2013ORACLE - Political Information ForumUniversity of Central LancashireNon-partisan political organisationNone2015Birkbeck Politics SocietyBirkbeck, University of LondonPolitics SocietyNone2019LJMU Political SocietyLiverpool John Moores UniversityPolitics SocietyNone2019University of Dundee Socialist SocietyUniversity of DundeeActivist OrganisationNone2021University of Portsmouth Left Society (as University of Portsmouth Marxist Society)University of PortsmouthPolitics SocietyNone2023Cambridge University Left SocietyUniversity of CambridgePolitics Society2025

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