We are running pieces from candidates for Labour Students chair on both the Organise and Socialist Future slates.

The piece from Organise-backed candidate Ruby Herbert can be found here and the piece from Anna Baxter can be found here.

Ballots opened in elections to the Labour Students national committee on Thursday.

In 2024, we are being presented with the chance to vote for a fresh start. Our generation has known nothing but the heartbreaking and divisive consequences of austerity, corruption, and toxic culture wars – but I’m optimistic that, with Labour in power, a better future lies ahead. 

As co-chair of Lancaster University Labour Club and Vice Chair of a CLP that is full of passionate young activists, I’ve seen first-hand the enthusiasm and commitment of students, and I know that a Labour government won’t be won if we don’t unite in the  pursuit of change. 

Students will be at the forefront of the campaign for a Labour victory in 2024, but we must ensure that we have a seat at the table, and that our voices are heard. 

National Labour Students: Past and Present 

When Labour Students was reformed in 2022, an opportunity arose to establish a democratic, vibrant student wing for the first time in decades. We shouldn’t forget how significant this is: before NOLS was shut down, it was sclerotic, cliquey, and completely removed from the wider student movement. Anyone who was involved will tell you that it was a toxic organisation rife with infighting and bullying.

The fight for a democratic National Labour Students has been a long one – the principle of a national committee elected by every student Party member is one we must not take for granted. 

While we have democratic structures, we need to grow a democratic culture by engaging with our Labour clubs and members, and by ensuring that we are responsive and accountable to them. 

At present, Socialist Future has a majority on the National Labour Students Committee, and there have been some significant wins over the past two years. For those wins, we should be proud. 

Last year, NLSC called on the Labour Leadership to reverse its u-turn on abolishing tuition fees. Most recently, the committee voted unanimously to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and for the suspension of UK arms exports to Israel. It is clear that students are united in their advocacy of peace, international justice, and an end to the humanitarian crisis. 

The significance of Labour Students 

As is, Labour Students is a campaigning force – and an effective one at that. The work that Labour Students has done in fighting for remarkable victories across the country, from Mid Bedfordshire and Tamworth, to Wellingborough and Kingswood, has been essential.

This notwithstanding, we have the opportunity to be so much more than an electoral campaigning force. For the fruits of our door knocking to be won, Labour Students must also be a relentless advocate within our Party for the policies students need from a Labour  government. 

After fourteen years of Tory chaos, we are in desperate need of real change. Our rights are under threat, poverty is soaring, the planet is being destroyed, and discrimination is all too prevalent. Now more than ever, we need a bold Labour government that will deliver for our generation. 

We must ensure that students are front of centre in the general election manifesto. We have been failed and exploited by a government that has treated us as cash-cows, recklessly extending the failed marketisation of our education system. 

Our right to be educated has been undermined. Students deserve a government that will commit to smashing the class ceiling and establishing a level playing field for all. We must fight for that, and as representatives of the student community, we are in a unique position to do so. 

What will Socialist Future do? 

Through accessible, inclusive and targeted campaigns, we will fight tirelessly for the Labour government our country needs. A united front in the face of Tory efforts to cling on to  power and decimate our communities is paramount; complacency is not an option.  Together, in solidarity, we are so much stronger. 

With that in mind, we will build and respect a democratic committee that works with, and for, the student community. We will create a collaborative environment in which every voice is heard and not sidelined. 

Our commitment to empowering student voices stretches beyond the committee. We want to expand our network of clubs by ensuring that members at universities across every region and nation are equipped with the knowledge, resources and connections to build and maintain Labour Clubs which can seamlessly integrate into our movement and thrive as valued members of our community. 

We will host a democratic conference that unites members of the Labour Students family and invites them to voice their demands of us and our Party, and we will hold policy workshops which provide spaces for students to contribute to the development of the policies we need. 

We need our party to win, and as such, we are committed to building a productive working relationship with the party leadership – but if the student community is failed, then we will not be passive. We will always use our platform to call out injustices and ensure  accountability. 

In particular, we will fight for the Labour Party to set an example by standing unequivocally for trans inclusion and liberation. We want to work closely with Young Labour to establish a working group and commission an independent report on transphobia within the Labour Party. 

We’ll ensure that Labour Students stands firmly on the side of the trade unions, standing on UCU picket lines and campaigning for the New Deal for Working People. Our movement will also represent the vast majority of students concerned by the climate crisis, using our  collective voice to demand a just green transition. 

Student members have an opportunity to vote for a Labour Students that is inclusive, democratic, and proudly committed to socialist principles. We have a duty to win a Labour government and to ensure that our community, with our desire for a just and equal future, is listened to – and that’s a duty that Socialist Future will take seriously.

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