Union Rejects Reform Society Affiliation Amid Protests

On 15 April, 2026, the St Andrews Students’ Association confirmed that the Union would not be affiliating with the St Andrews Reform Society.

In a statement to The Saint, Union President of Opportunities Robert Moran said, “As a Union, our role is to ensure every student feels welcome, included, and heard, and to support respectful, open dialogue. Part of the way we do this is through our many societies. Although a few societies did not make it through the complete affiliation process, they can try again in October.”

The Reform Society’s efforts to affiliate with the Union have drawn controversy among student political organisations. Following an altercation at The Rule with St Andrews Women Against the Far Right (WAFR) on 13 March, Reform MP Suella Braverman issued a letter to University Principal Dame Sally Mapstone urging an investigation into the incident. WAFR later filed a report with the Union detailing anti-social behaviour and verbal insults from Reform members, according to WAFR leader Rebecca Long. 

During the Union’s deliberation, over twenty societies gathered outside the Union building from 2pm to 4pm for the Unity Demonstration against Reform’s affiliation.

“We saw and heard the demonstration outside the Union yesterday and want to recognise the real sense of care, solidarity, and compassion shown by those who took part,” Moran said. 

He continued, “At its best, student life is about people coming together to stand up for one another and the kind of community they believe in. Yesterday felt like a reflection of that — students supporting each other, making their voices heard, and doing so in a way that was peaceful and respectful.”

Speaking on the issue, event organiser Sage Wilson told The Saint, “When we see people trying to organise a Reform Society on campus in an area that is so visibly diverse and full of people from all corners of the world, we understand how harmful their politics are to vulnerable groups of people. We think we need to unite against that and say that we don't stand for that type of politics on campus, and that it poses a real danger and threat to people.”

“This protest is all about unity,” she added, “It’s showing that all of these different communities are not separate, and their oppression that we experience is not separate, and we’re going to champion love and community instead of the hateful, divisive politics of Reform UK.”

The event featured speeches from representatives of WAFR, St Andrews Muslim Students Association (STAMSA), and St Andrews Students for Justice for Palestine (SJP). Across all speeches, the demonstration emphasised a desire to combat Reform’s alleged hateful rhetoric, citing incidents of misogyny, racism, and Islamophobia. 

Sarah Aziz, Alumni Representative of STAMSA and co-head of SJP, spoke at the protest. In an interview with The Saint, she said, “This rise of extremism doesn’t come from a vacuum. It’s logical that Reform would then invade St Andrews,” adding, “We know how it will impact students. [...] We can’t equate the speech of Reform to free speech. It’s not the same that their speech is negating the rights of groups of people, be it immigrants, refugees, people from immigrant backgrounds, and people from religious backgrounds that have been marginalised.”

Other participants also shared their views on Reform’s attempted affiliation. 

Bernardo Sandoval, a Mexican student, told The Saint, “The comments saying that immigrants of yesterday were better than immigrants today [are] offensive [to] me as a student in St Andrews. I believe that that’s wrong, because I should not feel uncomfortable living here or studying here in the UK.”

“I think reform stands for so many things that are absolutely abhorrent, specifically their hate towards refugees, immigration, and their lack of concern for women’s issues,” first-year Megan Titheridge-Stark told The Saint. “We, of course, believe in freedom of speech and that everyone is entitled to their own views, but we will not support people who flat out are exclusionary, racist, and discriminatory because that is not freedom of speech — that is bigotry.”

Students and residents of all ages were in attendance. Former St Andrews Community Councillor John Docherty represented the older population, advocating against Reform with his 37 years’ experience as a trade unionist. 

“It doesn’t matter what age you are, what sex you are [to] become involved and fight against Reform,” Docherty told The Saint.

The Reform Society did not respond to The Saint’s request for comment.

Photo by Annabelle Mackey