Jensen Huang, Celeste, and Mia Khalifa to speak at the Union

The newly-released Cambridge Union termcard for Michaelmas 2025 features debates on immigration and Palestine, as well as speaker events with the NVIDIA CEO and Chancellor Chris Smith

The Union will host nine debates this termLouis Ashworth for Varsity

by Georgie Middlemiss & Faron Smith

Sunday October 5 2025, 10:48am

The Cambridge Union has released its term-card for Michaelmas 2025, featuring a lineup of celebrities, business leaders, and politicians.

Among them is CEO of trillion-dollar technology giant NVIDIA Jensen Huang, former MP George Galloway, and former adult star Mia Khalifa.

President Ivan Alexei Ampiah, elected in March, expressed his hope for the Union to revitalise this Michaelmas. He stated on the term ahead: “To our members, especially those joining this year, please forget what you may have heard about the Union and consider this a reintroduction. The Union is a vibrant place with a legacy that is alive and well.”

The term will open with the traditional debate on ‘This House Has No Confidence in His Majesty’s Government,’ featuring former Education Secretary Gillian Keegan, and Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp. The event features Conservative and Labour politicians, and, unlike the previous year’s debate, will not feature representatives from Reform UK.

The Union will host nine debates this term, particularly spanning international politics and policy, including immigration, American politics, and ‘This House Believes the International Community Failed Palestine’.

This comes as a UN Commission of Enquiry found last month that Israel had committed genocide in Gaza, and increasing pressure on the international community to recognise the decision. This follows the UK and a series of European countries choosing to formally recognise the state of Palestine at the UN General Assembly in late September.

Huang is due to speak, and to receive the prestigious Stephen Hawking Fellowship.

Khalifa will attend the Union in Week 3 to debate the motion ‘This House Would Decriminalise Sex Work’. The debate will also feature the writer Sylvia Walby, and the PhD student and legal brothel manager Catherine De Noire.

Ivan Alexei Ampiah wins Cambridge Union presidency

Also due to speak at the Union is Phillipe Lazarini, Commissioner-General of UNRWA, the United Nations agency responsible for supporting Palestinian refugees, as well as Camille Vasquez, American attorney who defended Johnny Depp in his defamation trial against Amber Heard.

A diverse array of social events livens the term, including multiple events the Union is hosting to celebrate Black History Month, such as a panel event and formal dinner both in collaboration with Afro-Caribbean Society.

Additionally, the Chancellor of the University, Lord Chris Smith, will address the Union as part of World AIDS Day.

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