LONDON, 18 August 2025 -- The President sets out his vision for a KCLSU that is an independent voice for students' rights and interests, with strength in its people and in the diversity of our student communities.
Earlier this year, I started my campaign for President with a vision in mind: of an SU where we could improve student welfare, lower the cost of living, and improve the services on offer for us at King's College London - the institution we call home.
As President, I have acted swiftly to restore our standing as a Student's Union that always thinks ahead for its members and develops a strong network of partnerships and friends across the United Kingdom and beyond. I've also seen in my experience hosting guests, from leading influencers like Roshan Melwani of Sam's Tailor, to leading academics like Professor Abdulrazak Gurnah, the soft power and cultural weight that KCL carries is undeniable.
I have made it a point to engage with the external events space, attend conferences, and meet stakeholders across London because of the opportunities this brings to our students - and because KCLSU and KCL has so much to offer the world.
At the Russell Group Students' Unions ("RGSU") Conference, I saw a forum that was dedicated to helping universities build up partnerships and solve pressing issues common to all our institutions. The direction of higher education in this country is a concern to us all and the RGSU shows that there are many forums for us all to unite and build platforms for growth and welfare.
It's in that spirit that I've come to the conclusion that the National Union of Students ("NUS") is not fit for purpose: it must change or die. Or at least, that KCL students deserve a robust debate on the KCLSU's future in the NUS.
The KCLSU, under the leadership of Sir Ivison Macadam, founded the NUS: it is now KCLSU that must critically assess our role in it.
Can the NUS fight for our rights in the face of scathing criticism from all sides?
As I said in my Inaugural Address, a key part of my legislative agenda is the NUS Disaffiliation Bill, to be tabled before the KCLSU Board of Trustees. While the contents of this Bill, yet to be released, will be contingent on the relevant democratic processes, I can tell you this: we're not backing down.
The NUS Disaffiliation Act, if passed, will include provisions that will set a date for a referendum on KCLSU's membership of the NUS and if successful, the KCLSU will proceed with a formal withdrawal of its membership of the NUS.
The NUS has failed students. It's time to deliver the change we enacted and if this Bill is passed, I will campaign for the KCLSU to disaffiliate from the NUS - unless the NUS delivers the urgently needed change.
The NUS, that ultimate den of iniquity and the grooming grounds for prospective career politicians, has failed to address the true needs of students. A vehicle for ambitious students seeking political power, not a united front to organise and bring students together. Let's end this now: end the injustice, the failures, and the incompetency.
The criticism I have seen cannot be unseen: an NUS absent in the face of crackdowns on freedom of speech or a systematic failure to address the Crisis of Discrimination on our campuses. We are living amidst a fundamental sea change on the purpose of higher education and the NUS is nowhere to be found. Truth be told: the NUS is not fit for purpose.
An NUS which has paid lip service to but not acted on resolving the Cost-of-Living Crisis once and for all, with all the resources at its disposal, the NUS being a commercial enterprise.
We've seen from RGSU to other events I have hosted at KCL that KCLSU can do it on its own, and without the NUS. We've always had a distinct culture with a unique bond that we share amongst our communities across KCL campuses.
We do not need the NUS to survive. Indeed, we can thrive without them.
Now, more than ever, is the time to force radical change in the NUS or else KCLSU is left with no choice but to call a referendum.
ENDS
The views expressed on this page are those of Baiyu Liu and unless specified, they do not purport to represent the views of the King's College London Students' Union, its Officers, or its Members.
Media are directed to contact the Office of the President and the Secretary for Democratic Institutions, Assembly and Referenda via e-mail at baiyu4prez@gmail.com.
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