Trinity College has not cut ties from investment in any arms companies, despite reports that the College had decided to divest last term.

Senior members of the College allegedly told the Trinity College Student Union (TCSU) that “Trinity will be and is in the process of divesting” in Easter term. However, in a recent meeting with the College’s undergraduate (TCSU) and postgraduate (BA Society) students’ unions, the master stated that Trinity had “no interest in divesting from arms companies”.

During the meeting the Master of Trinity, Dame Sally Davies, stated that there was a “consensus” in the College against cutting ties from arms companies.

This came after the College’s Council minutes stated that reports of divestment were “based on inaccurate statements made by the President of the TCSU,” and that Council is currently in the process of “reviewing the College’s investments”.

Freedom of information requests, seen by Varsity, also show the College has maintained investments in multiple arms companies. This included Elbit Systems which produces 85% of the drones and land-based equipment used by the Israeli army.

Trinity was issued a legal notice over potential “complicity” in “war crimes,” over their investments in Elbit Systems in Lent term, due to their ties to “plausible genocide” in Gaza.

The College also holds shares in other arms companies that feature on the Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions (BDS) Movement list, which urges individuals to cut ties with companies associated with the war in Gaza.

Among these companies was BAE Systems, Europe’s largest defence contractor. The centralised University has faced repeated calls from students to cut its own ties with the company.

When asked whether the College would introduce a humanitarian response fund for the war in Gaza, similar to its response to Ukraine, Davies indicated that she “regretted” the support the College gave to Ukraine and the precedent that set for responses to war and humanitarian crises.

In 2022, the College established a £250,000 relief fund for Trinity and Cambridge students from Ukraine facing hardship following Russia’s invasion. College Council minutes indicated that this action was “in accordance with its charitable objective”. At this meeting the College also made the decision to divest from Russian companies.

This came as the University confirmed that they had no direct investments in Russian industries following the invasion of Ukraine, and indicated that they had taken steps to “ensure arrangements were in place” to ensure the safe return of any students and academics in Ukraine.

They also launched a University-wide response fund for those affected by the war in Ukraine, along with offering individual grants to support researchers from Ukraine.

In June the University also announced a hardship fund to support all students affected by conflict, with initial funds of £100,000 being set aside by the University to offer emergency assistance.

When the College was asked to take a stance on the conflict in Gaza in 2024, they cited their “obligations as a registered charity” and declined the request.

Trinity is the richest of all Oxford and Cambridge Colleges, holding an endowment of over £2 billion. Some of the College’s assets include the O2 Arena in London, and 400 acres of housing facilities at the Port of Felixstowe, Britain’s busiest container port.

The College has also previously divested from other industries, having made a pledge to fully divest from fossil fuels by 2031. This came following pressure from student activists to cut ties with fossil fuels, including Extinction rebellion activists digging up the College’s iconic front lawn in February 2020.

The University has also pledged to fully divest from fossil fuels by 2038, as a part of a “net zero” plan to ensure that the University’s £3.5 billion endowment fund did not have any direct investments in fossil fuels.

Trinity has also faced significant pressure from students to cut ties from the arms companies, with protesters targeting the College’s Maths open days in Easter term.

The demonstrators urged prospective students not to apply to Trinity due to their “complicity in Israel’s genocide of the Palestinian people”. They also stated that they “will keep coming back and making noise” until the College divests from arms companies.

The claim that the College has a consensus opposing divestment has also been challenged by members of the Trinity fellowship, with one Fellow telling Varsity that “There is an appetite for divestment from armaments among fellows. As a point of principle, many people think it’s inappropriate for an educational institution to profit from investment in weapons.”

“Then, looking at the scale of death, destruction and suffering in Palestine and Lebanon it becomes unconscionable,” they continued.

This comes after the University pledged to review its arms investments in July, in reaction to ongoing pressure from students on the University to divest from arms companies. An encampment was set up on King’s Parade by pro-Palestine students in May.

Following the University’s promise to review arms investments, the student group Cambridge for Palestine (C4P) agreed to dismantle the camp. Cambridge promised that student representatives would be involved in a “student-led task force” during this review.

During their meeting with the Trinity Master, students were also told that having a student advise the College on their investment policy would be “pointless”. This comes in spite of the University’s decision to set up a student led taskforce to advise on arms policy.

A spokesperson for Trinity College told Varsity: “The College is committed to supporting students affected by conflict. In 2022 Trinity created a £250,000 fund, of which £150,000 went to the Rowan Williams Cambridge Studentship programme in support of future Trinity and Cambridge students affected by Russia’s war against Ukraine.”

“The College also worked with the Council for At-Risk Academics, through the University of Cambridge and its associated Trusts to provide support for scholars seeking refuge at Cambridge and other universities in the UK and EU.”

“In 2024 Trinity donated £150,000 to the Rowan Williams Cambridge Studentship programme. This increases the support available for those students from conflict zones and areas of instability, including in the Middle East, as well as those subjected to or at risk of discrimination, persecution, suffering, violence or other abuse of their human rights. Trinity has recently pledged a further sum in support of the University Humanitarian Response Fund. The College’s investments are subject to ongoing review.”

Dame Sally Davies was contacted for comment