King’s College has become one of the first Oxbridge colleges to commit to divesting from arms companies and firms engaged in “illegal” activities, following sustained student campaigning.

In an email to students, the College’s Provost Gillian Tett announced that the “Governing Body has agreed to adopt a responsible investment policy,” first approved in draft form in Michaelmas 2024. The new strategy, she said, “takes a principled approach to investments with the values of our community,” and marks the “culmination of many months of work by a working group of Fellows and students.”

The policy follows internal discussion on the College’s investment ethics, “prompted by the occupation of Ukraine and Palestinian territories,” and will see King’s divest from companies involved in “activities generally recognised as illegal or contravening global norms, such as occupation,” and from those producing military and nuclear weapons or key components of such weapons.

Tett stated the changes will be fully implemented across the College’s investment portfolio by the end of 2025.

The announcement follows nearly a year of pressure from student activist groups, including King’s College for Palestine (KC4P), the Cambridge for Palestine Coalition, the King’s College Student Union (KCSU), and the King’s College Graduate Union (KCGU). External experts were also consulted in shaping the new guidelines.

As of March 2023, the institution indirectly invested £2.2m in arms companies, including Lockheed Martin, Korea Aerospace, and BAE Systems.

Although Trinity College’s Student Union reportedly voted to do so last year, Varsity reported in November that the College has backtracked on this decision.

This is also not King’s first ethical investment shift: in 2021, the College committed to phasing out fossil fuel-linked investments by 2030. The new strategy builds on that goal, aiming to “avoid complicity with abuses and unjustified harm”.

The KCSU President stated in a college-wide email on Tuesday (20/05) that “the occupations in Palestine and Ukraine that this policy addresses are also far from over, and while this is an important step for King’s to be taking, it is equally important that this does not overshadow the massive amount of work we can continue to do to protect victims of arms and illegal settlements globally.”

The KCSU and KCGU jointly told Varsity: “King’s College Student Union and King’s College Graduate Union, alongside student representatives, have worked continuously and collaboratively with College Fellows and Officers in producing both the framework for responsible investment and the final exclusions that were approved by the Governing Body of the College.

“We are incredibly proud of having translated a student-led demand for change into concrete policy for the future of the College’s investments. This result demonstrates the success that inclusion and collaboration across the whole College can produce,” they continued.

The KCGU attended the Governing Body vote and backed the new investment policy, citing both an internal vote and a student-wide survey, finalised in early May (06/05), which showed clear and consistent graduate support for the changes.

In an email to students, the KCGU President stated: “I want to note that, of course, this policy change does not change the harm and abuse suffered through illegal occupation and arms sales. I do hope, however, it might feel like some progress, even if there is still a long way to go.”

KC4P stated that “the decision comes far too late for the thousands of Palestinians who have been starved, tortured and killed at the hands of the Israeli state”. Nevertheless, they “welcome King’s College’s decision to commit to divestment,” imploring “the University and other colleges to follow the example set by King’s”.

One King’s student told Varsity: “I’m really pleased that the College has voted to align itself with the vast majority of the student body and divest. But I know how hard we had to work to get the College to this point, and it’s vital we keep applying the pressure to ensure this commitment is fulfilled.”

Another student commented that the announcement “illustrates the clear desire across the students and staff alike that King’s College’s values must be backed up with actions. We as students have no desire to be complicit in militarisation and environmental destruction”.

KC4P have also announced plans to stage a “Divestment Rally” on King’s Parade on Wednesday evening, following this news.

King’s College and the University of Cambridge have been contacted for comment.