The King’s College London Conservative Association (KCLCA) president elected for 2025-26 was removed as leader following racist remarks they allegedly made in a Port & Policy debate in October.
The former KCLCA president allegedly made a racist comment during a Port & Policy debate on the future of the Conservative Party leadership, in which witnesses report they remarked that the party’s current leader, Kemi Badenoch, “should go back to the tribe in Africa that she came from.”
Contacted by Roar, the former KCLCA president denied the allegations. They provided a sworn statement from a London University Conservatives (LUC) member stating that they had not heard the president say the remarks, but declined to comment further.
According to sources present at the debate, a racial slur was shouted in response by an LUC member sitting in the front row, while another senior LUC member remarked, “She isn’t even British.”
When approached, the senior LUC member had no recollection of their remark.
A source present at the debate told Roar there were “audible gasps among the audience and people were upset,” but no formal intervention was made regarding the former KCLCA president’s comment.
Another source told Roar, “Beyond a few gasps from members, the LUC at large seemed to welcome and agree with these comments.”
UCL Conservatives, meanwhile, claimed an intervention from the Chair of the debate did take place, and that “the individual [the former KCLCA president] complied promptly and issued a retraction without reservation.”
Kemi Badenoch was born in the UK to Nigerian parents and has previously spoken out about the racism she has experienced since becoming the first black woman to lead the Conservative Party.
The Port & Policy debate was hosted by UCL Conservatives, KCL Tories and City Conservatives on 9 October at UCL’s Bloomsbury Campus.
UCL Conservatives issued the following statement:
“The event included a motion regarding the leadership of the Conservative and Unionist Party under the Right Honourable Kemi Badenoch, M.P. During the course of the debate, an individual made grossly inappropriate and racially motivated remarks referencing the Party Leader’s heritage. These remarks were immediately condemned by the chair of the debate as abhorrent, wholly unacceptable, and outside the scope of legitimate political discourse.
“The chair of the debate reminded attendees of the Society’s unequivocal stance against discrimination in all its forms and directed the individual to retract their remarks. The individual complied promptly and issued a retraction without reservation.
“This individual has been indefinitely prohibited from participating in activities organised under the auspices of the London Universities Conservatives. The individual in question held a leadership position within another university’s Conservative Society. This incident was the catalyst for this individual’s removal from their position.
“The UCL Conservative Society wishes to state in the strongest possible terms that racism, prejudice, or any form of discriminatory behaviour is wholly antithetical to our values and will never be tolerated. Such conduct has no place in political discourse, in our Society, or within the university community.”
Changing Leadership for KCLCA
According to a senior source within KCLCA, on 24 October, senior members of KCLCA and London University Conservatives (LUC) approached the former president and asked them to resign from the society’s leadership. After they refused, committee members initiated a vote of no confidence, resulting in their removal as president on 14 November.
This version of events has been contested by others. A source close to KCLCA told Roar, “The former president was asked to resign and told that if they did not there would be a vote of no confidence which would be unanimous. After some argument they agreed and sent an email to the KCLSU resigning on 14 November.”
The source added, “The leadership [under the former president] was not very open. The former president was non communicative. I deliberately didn’t go to Port and Policies because [they were] president.”
Following their removal as president, Paw News, a satirical right-wing KCL news Instagram account, reported claims of “a ruthless coup” within the society, citing what appeared to be an anonymous supporter of the former president who described those involved as “a bunch of backstabbers”.
Newly selected co-president of KCLCA and former vice president, Hannah Goodman, told Roar that “hearing that sort of racist vitriol coming from an LUC President and members was a shocking and dismaying experience – but equally concerning was the lack of a reaction these comments garnered amongst the audience.
“The KCLCA condemns any extremism within the LUC, and this incident speaks to a nasty culture within the organisation which cannot be allowed to continue if it is to survive.”
A Toxic Culture Within the LUC
Roar has previously reported a run of controversies surrounding London student Conservative events linked to the KCL Conservative Association (KCLCA) and the wider London University Conservatives (LUC) network.
In February 2023, KCLCA’s Port & Policy motion to “restore the British Empire” triggered backlash from student groups and KCLSU, with protests organised and the event relocated from its original on-campus venue. Later that year, Roar also reported the fallout from a KCL Politics Society debate after former KCLCA President Isaac Farnbank told a heckler, “You’re a teenage girl, what do you know about foreign affairs?” The incident drew criticism and was discussed in the context of wider tensions around KCLCA’s conduct and reputation.
In 2024, Roar covered further flashpoints. A Port & Policy promo featuring the motion “This house would sink the boats” drew condemnation, before KCLCA said it had been posted in error and revised. Roar also reported a Port & Policy event where an attendee brought a replica British Union of Fascists (BUF) armband and urged a speaker to put it on, alongside allegations of bigoted language and Nazi gestures.
Days later, KCLCA issued a formal notice suspending an individual from all LUC events “until further notice”. By late 2024, KCLCA had been suspended by KCLSU over the summer following repeated allegations linked to Port & Policy conduct. KCLCA was later reinstated by KCLSU in June 2025.
And in March 2025, Roar reported an attendee performing a Nazi salute at a London student Conservative Port & Policy debate – one of several incidents that have fuelled concerns about extremist or disorderly conduct within parts of the LUC scene.
