Political Careers of NUS Presidents, 1969-present
Given the news that Wes Streeting has been selected as a parliamentary candidate for Labour in Ilford North, it’s time to update my list of political platforms NUS presidents stood on and the posts they have gone on to hold. Candidates prior to 1969 did not appear to stand as part of a formal organised grouping and none I can find had any further political career.
| Name | Years | Party/Platform at time of election | Subsequent political activity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jack Straw | 1969-71 | Radical Student Alliance | Labour MP, Shadow Cabinet member, former Labour Foreign and Home Secretary. |
| Digby Jacks | 1971-73 | Broad Left/Communist Party of Great Britain | Former Labour councillor in the London Borough of Hounslow. |
| John Randall | 1973-75 | Independent | No connection to the Conservative MP of the same name, appears to have had an entirely non-political career since. |
| Charles Clarke | 1975-77 | Broad Left/Labour Students | Former Labour MP and Home Secretary. |
| Sue Slipman | 1977-78 | Broad Left/Communist Party of Great Britain | Joined the SDP and stood for parliament, but did not join the Liberal Democrats post-merger. |
| Trevor Phillips | 1978-80 | Broad Left/Non-aligned | Former Labour member of the London Assembly. Blair’s preferred Labour candidate for London Mayor in 1999. |
| David Aaronovitch | 1980-82 | Broad Left/Communist Party of Great Britain | Non-political career, became a journalist. |
| Neil Stewart | 1982-84 | Labour | Non-political career, as far as can be established. |
| Phil Woolas | 1984-86 | Labour | Former Labour MP and Immigration Minister. |
| Vicky Philips | 1986-88 | Labour | Non-political career, became a lawyer. |
| Maeve Sherlock | 1988-90 | Labour | Labour member of House of Lords. Special advisor to then-chancellor Gordon Brown. |
| Stephen Twigg | 1990-92 | Labour | Labour MP, former Minister of State. |
| Lorna Fitzsimons | 1992-94 | Labour | Former Labour MP |
| Jim Murphy | 1994-96 | Labour | Labour MP, former Cabinet Minister, current Shadow Cabinet member |
| Douglas Trainer | 1996-98 | Labour | Special adviser for the Labour Scottish Executive 2006-07 |
| Andrew Pakes | 1998-00 | Labour | Former Labour Councillor and special advisor to Labour Deputy Mayor of London, Labour parliamentary candidate in 2010 |
| Owain James | 2000-02 | Independent | Former Labour party employee |
| Mandy Telford | 2002-04 | Labour | Former Special Adviser to Labour MP Tessa Jowell, married to Labour MP John Woodcock. |
| Kat Fletcher | 2004-06 | Campaign for Free Education/Independent | Labour candidate in 2013 by-election for Islington Council. |
| Gemma Tumelty | 2006-08 | Independent | Labour Party employee, stood for selection as Labour parliamentary candidate. |
| Wes Streeting | 2008-10 | Labour | Labour Prospective parliamentary candidate in Ilford North. |
| Aaron Porter | 2010-11 | Independent | Labour party member and contributed to the book “What Next for Labour? Ideas for a new generation”. |
| Liam Burns | 2011-13 | Independent | Labour party member. |
| Toni Pearce | Current | Independent | Joined Labour only after being elected. |