Students have established a new left-wing political group, the University of Cambridge Left Society (UCLS), which says it aims to “renew socialist politics” at the University and provide an alternative to the Cambridge University Labour Club (CULC).

Announcing itself on Instagram on Monday (01/09), UCLS claimed that CULC “has ceased to provide” a meaningful forum for socialist politics.

In response, CULC has rejected the criticisms “made by the unelected UCLS executive,” describing them as “inaccurate and dishonest”.

The UCLS post declared: “We call for the renewal of socialist politics at the University of Cambridge and beyond, not as nostalgia, but as necessity.”

It argued that student politics has lost “vitality” at a time when young people face historic declines in living standards and a lack of political representation.

Unlike new left-wing groups at Manchester, Newcastle and Warwick, UCLS has not aligned itself with Your Party, the new political party launched by Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana in July. Those societies recently disaffiliated from the national Labour Party and urged students nationwide to join Your Party.

The post also outlined five guiding principles, stressing “substantive” democracy, education, political independence and socialist politics, as well as the belief that “internationalism must be grounded in sovereignty”.

UCLS pledged to build a network of “independent socialist societies” at other universities, to reject “identity politics” in favour of the “unity of the working-class,” and to demand greater “accountability from the University”.

UCLS’ post came in a red graphic, stamped with white text, and finished with a red, white, and black logo. Sources within the society have since confirmed the logo to be inspired by the artwork “Beat the Whites with the Red Wedge,” a piece of Bolshevik propaganda artwork from the Russian Civil War.

Its Instagram declaration continued to condemn CULC for “serving only to domesticate student radicalism into the structures it claims to oppose”. It claimed they should be an energetic force for “advancing independent working-class politics,” and not be “an appendage of Westminster politics”.

Founded in 1900, CULC is the oldest and largest student Labour society in the UK. The society describes itself on its website as the “home of left-wing politics in Cambridge”.

CULC’s Constitution, published online, states the society’s objectives as being “to facilitate the discussion and promotion of socialist, progressive, and other left-wing democratic political ideas in Cambridge and beyond,” while also supporting and campaigning for the Labour Party.

In response to the allegations made by UCLS, a spokesperson for CULC told Varsity: “CULC has over 800 members and an elected executive of almost 20 people. We are one of the largest forums for left wing activism and community in the country. The claims made by the unelected UCLS executive are inaccurate and dishonest.

“Through CULC campaigns in the past, we have rallied in student protests to save the Cambridge Bursary and against tuition fee hikes, as well as alongside our local affiliated trade unions to successfully protest against the University, to increase wages for University staff.

“The democratic socialist record of the Labour Party, creating the NHS, the Minimum wage for all workers and the legalisation of homosexuality, inspires our committed belief that at its best, only Labour can implement meaningful change for our nation’s working class. However, we have been unashamed to hold the government to account when we deem it not working for the best interests of our members.

“We have released strong statements condemning the government’s policy on the Gaza genocide and their capitulation on trans rights. We have signed a petition to Labour Conference in October calling for the end of the two child benefit cap. We are currently campaigning on behalf of Palestinians trying to get visas to study in Cambridge, and have raised over £2,500 for the Red Cross Gaza humanitarian appeal.

“As a left wing society, we welcome new voices for progressive change, but hope that the UCLS use these voices in what is tried and tested to be the best forum to actually achieve real progressive change in our community – the Cambridge University Labour Club,” they continued.