On 27 February 2025, KCL Politics Society hosted their second biannual cross-party debate. The event featured speakers from KCL Conservative Association (KCLCA), KCL Labour, KCL Liberal Democrats and for the first time, KCL Green Party. Despite being unratified, the Greens were included by the Politics Society to bring more attention to environmental politics, both on campus and across the country.
The debate covered a variety of topics. For example, with whom Britain should stand on the world stage, whether the country’s economic infrastructure was fit for the 21st century, nationalisation versus privatisation and immigration policy. Before the debate started, audience members were handed ballot papers and asked to tick the box for the party they expected to win. Following the end of the debate, audience members were given a second ballot. The results were then revealed, reflecting how the opinions of audience members had shifted over the course of the evening.
KCL Politics Society President Josh Robinson and Vice-President Diana Potra were moderators. In their introductory speech, Robinson stressed that speakers on stage should not be viewed as ‘ambassadors’ or ‘spokesmen’ for parties on a national scale. Potra emphasised how the debate was “a really important event” for the Politics Society.
The Politics Society allocated two minutes to each party for introductions wherein representatives outlined their platform. Following opening statements, each topic was allocated fifteen minutes overall for debate between speakers. Closing statements would be roughly one minute long and there was also an audience Q&A section.
The debate between speakers was overshadowed by the interactions occurring simultaneously amongst audience members. Labour was quick to respond to heckling from all directions, earning them a considerable amount of applause. Even members of the KCLCA appeared to agree with this approach, criticising their own speakers for being less active participants in the debate.
Speakers on all sides agreed that British foreign policy needed to change but they disagreed on which diplomatic relationships should be prioritised. The KCLCA argued that Britain’s special relationship with the US had unravelled and that foreign policy demanded a greater adaptability in response to international events. Labour argued that Britain should adopt a ‘Hugh Grantian’ approach whereby they would cooperate with Trump where possible but not allow him to bully Britain.
The Greens argued that the special relationship had died and emphasised a greater need to focus on relations with the EU. The Liberal Democrats agreed with this notion, arguing that Britain had become fundamentally weaker since Brexit.
When it came to the economy, the parties were divided on where they stood. Labour emphasised the damage caused by fourteen years of austerity under Tory leadership. They believed Starmer’s government was already making important steps toward change, especially when it came to rebuilding schools. The KCLCA were interrupted by Labour and the Greens when they attempted to rebut some of these claims. The Liberal Democrats seemed less inclined to participate in the heckling, attempting to focus on their own points. They focused on the challenges caused by issues like rising inflation.
Some confusion emerged over whether water companies in Britain were privatised or nationalised (they are the former). Labour interrupted the Liberal Democrats to correct them, but this was soon smoothed over with the Liberal Democrats apologising for any confusion caused.
When it came to the matter of whether the British constitution could be seen as out of place, the KCLCA argued that it was a “living entity” which could adapt to modern life. The Greens believed that it was ‘outdated’ whilst the Liberal Democrats proposed a system where a federal constitution would exist, alongside national and local assemblies. Labour were keen to emphasise the constitutional reforms that had been made under previous leaders of their party, particularly in the House of Lords. Throughout the debate, the Greens were keen to emphasise the importance of taking tangible steps towards ensuring climate justice.
Robinson and Potra attempted to ensure that speakers for the most part had ninety seconds of protected time when making their arguments. This was not always successful, as speakers inevitably interrupted each other’s arguments and audience members (particularly a group of KCLCA supporters) heckled those on stage. The latter shouted a variety of colourful language, interrupted their own speakers’ points and at one point, seemed to cheer for the other parties on stage as opposed to the KCLCA.
It seems that some of their behaviour may have been fuelled by alcohol which added to their raucous energy. At one point in the debate, a handful of audience members began to heckle the KCLCA supporters, asking them if they could “shut the f*ck up”. Below we include a selection of comments from the KCLCA supporters which reflect the heated atmosphere:
“Up Putin.”
“I hate Reform. They’re a bunch of f*cking racist c*nts.”
“So f*cking boring… Can you imagine being a Liberal Democrat?”
A spokesperson for KCLCA told Roar:
“The individuals in question, of whom it is unclear if they were indeed members of the KCLCA, are in no way indicative of the values and standards of the association as a whole.”
At the end of the debate, the results of both ballots were revealed. In the first ballot, Labour won 48 votes, the Liberal Democrats won 31 votes, the Greens won 28 votes and the KCLCA won 16 votes. In the second ballot, Labour increased its majority by 7%, moving to 65 votes, becoming the overall winner of the debate. The Greens and the KCLCA increased their vote shares as well, moving to 19 and 39 votes respectively. The only party to garner fewer votes in the second ballot was the Liberal Democrats which scored 24 votes, still placing them ahead of the KCLCA.
