The Cambridge Union released its Lent 2025 term card today, with speakers including ex-Formula One driver Christian Horner and Palestinian Ambassador to the UK Husam Zomlot.

Dr Martin Stern MBE, one of the last few living holocaust survivors will be attending the Union this term for the first Holocaust Memorial Lecture since the pandemic.

Also attending the Union will be a number of political figures including, ex-president of the UK Supreme Court Baroness Hale, the former Lib Dem leader Vince Cable, and Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the heir to the Iranian throne prior to the abolishment of their monarchy. 

Alongside this, the Union has arranged for a series of debates including, “This House Believes Trump is a 21st Century Fascist”. This comes after President Joe Biden’s farewell address where he warned listeners that “an oligarchy is taking shape in America,” adding that it “threatens our entire democracy, our basic rights and freedoms”.

The Union is also set to debate on private education in “This House Would Abolish Private Schools”. This follows the Labour government plans to scrap private schools’ VAT exemption from January 2025 and use this money to increase funding in the state sector.

Although, earlier this week (18/1) it was announced that the government would provide financial support to pay the 20 per cent VAT on fees for pupils from lower-income families on the music and dance scheme, a grant for specialist schools.

Union President for the Lent term, Sammy McDonald, when speaking on the debates for the upcoming term, said: “The aim is to foster and cultivate productive debate, rather than to promote shouting for the sake of recording the noise.”

The Union will also be having a number of equalities events ranging from debates on the police discrimination against BME communities and a panel discussion on Violence against Women and Girls, as well as talks by Dame Melinda Simmons, the former ambassador to Ukraine.

Last term, the Union came under fire for its ties with controversial Tory donor Frank Hester following his alleged “racist” comments against veteran Labour MP Diane Abbott. The Union responded that Hester’s comments “do not reflect the standard of [their] organisation”.

Christopher Lorde, the Union’s Equalities Officer said: “The Union’s core mission of free speech and free expression doesn’t exist without a commitment to diverse speech – ensuring that all our members feel like they have the power to join the conversation.”

The Union’s emphasis on diverse speech was reiterated by McDonald who “pledge[ed]” to make the Union “more accessible and open”. He added: “May you always find here not only the platform but the courage to be free”.