King’s College London Students’ Union (KCLSU) President Baiyu Liu is expected to seek re-election in 2026, Roar News has learned. Under existing KCLSU rules, sabbatical officers may serve for a maximum of two terms in total, meaning Liu is eligible to stand again in March 2026.
Several sources familiar with the president’s plans have told this paper that private discussions are at an advanced stage, with Liu having appointed a campaign chair and actively recruiting other students to help with publicity and social media.
Under rules set out in the Memorandum of Understanding between King’s College London and KCLSU, student members may hold a major union office or any other paid elected post within the union for no “more than two years in total, whether consecutive or non-consecutive”.
It means Liu is eligible to seek a second one-year term as president in the March 2026 elections but could not remain in post beyond July 2027.
KCLSU is due to open nominations for its 2026 election early in the second semester, with campaigning traditionally concentrated in March.
Liu did not respond to Roar’s request for comment at the time of publication.
Liu, a computer science student who grew up in the UK and was born in Beijing, was elected KCLSU president in March on a pledge to “save the union” and “transform King’s with common sense solutions” – defeating several rivals to secure the 2025-26 presidency.
His victory made him the first Chinese student to lead the union of a major London Russell Group university, a milestone he has framed as a response to the under-representation of Chinese students in union politics.
The election was overshadowed in April when Roar revealed that, as president-elect, Liu had used a religious slogan and declared his support for Israel at a London University Conservatives (LUC) event. The remarks appeared at odds with his manifesto pledge to support divestment from companies linked to the Israeli occupation.
In a statement on his blog, Liu said the phrase was “in no way meant to be offensive” and argued that his comments were being taken out of context. He drew a distinction between his personal views and his policy commitments as union president, which he said remained unchanged.
Since taking office on 1 August, Liu has kept a relatively low public profile, with most official communications issued in the name of the full-time officer team rather than as individual presidential statements.
The KCLSU president has been most visible on issues affecting international students, particularly those from China, a focus that reflects both his election campaign and his own public commentary.
KCLSU’s recent “Officers’ Wins” update credits him with working with King’s examinations and assessment staff and the Chinese Students’ and Scholars’ Association to ensure graduates can download digital copies of their degree certificates. The scheme is aimed at helping students meet tight job and civil service exam deadlines in countries where paper certificates can take months to arrive.
In a separate announcement, Liu shared a list of cafes across King’s campuses where students can now obtain free hot water, presented as part of his aim to make facilities “more culturally inclusive” for students who prefer to drink hot water or prepare instant meals.
The wider officer team has also claimed a shared win on a new personal-tutoring policy, giving students clearer rights to regular contact and routes to complain where support falls short. They have also issued joint statements on topics including Gaza, biometric checks for international students and trans awareness.
While some of Liu’s more ambitious manifesto pledges on wider reform of KCLSU and student democracy have yet to be tested against a full year’s record, his supporters argue that the early focus on narrow but deliverable changes has produced visible gains for groups who have often felt overlooked.
One King’s student who voted for Liu told Roar: “It was undeniably a rocky start, but he’s taken the role in his stride. He’s not just delivering for those particular groups he targeted in his campaign – he’s delivering for the entire King’s community.”
If Liu does seek a second term, the contest is likely to re-open arguments about his record, his emphasis on Chinese student priorities and the fallout from controversies at the LUC’s Port & Policy debate.
For now, discussions about a re-election bid are taking place behind closed doors. But as most students wind down for the winter break, it is clear that the president’s campaign team is already quietly forming.
Editor’s Note: This article was updated on 11 December to clarify that the two-term limit for KCLSU officers predates the updated 2025 Articles of Association.
Rayhan Hussain is the Associate Editor at Roar News, having been the paper’s Comment Editor and Staff Writer between 2023 and 2025. During that time, he studied Politics at King’s College London and is currently undertaking an MA in Government Studies at King’s. Rayhan has also gained experience with The Times and The Telegraph - and recently interned at Edelman, the world's largest communication firm. At Roar, Rayhan has reported on high-profile campus stories, shaped student discourse through his editorial work, and moderated events with prominent journalists.
