Oxford University Labour Club

When David Lewis came to Oxford, the Labour Club was a tame organisation adhering to Christian activism, or the not-quite-so-scrappy-socialist theories of people such as R. H. Tawney and his book The Acquisitive Society. David's modified Jewish Labour Bundist interpretation of Marxism, that Cameron Smith labels "Parliamentary Marxism," ignited the renewed interest in the club after the disappointment with Ramsay MacDonald's second Labour government.[3] In 1932 the Labour Club and the October Club (Oxford University's communist society) jointly organised a reception for a contingent of hunger marchers passing through Oxford.[4]

The Oxford newspaper The Isis noted Lewis' leadership ability at this early stage in his career in their 7 February 1934 issue: "The energy of these University Socialists is almost unbelievable. If the Socialist movement as a whole is anything like as active as they are, then a socialist victory at the next election is inevitable."[5]

In February 1934, British fascist William Joyce, (Lord Haw Haw), visited Oxford. Lewis and future Ontario Co-operative Commonwealth Federation leader Ted Jolliffe, organised a noisy protest against the fascist, by simply planting Labour Club members in the dance hall that Joyce was speaking in, and causing a commotion, as groups of two and three left making much noise on the creaking wooden floors. The speech was foiled. Afterwards, the Blackshirts contingent had a street battle in Oxford with members of the Labour Club and the townsfolk.[6]

Lewis prevented the communists from really making inroads at Oxford during his time there. He increased the Labour Club's membership by three-quarters, from 484 members in December 1932 to over 850 members by the time he left, while the October Club never rose above 300 members.[7] Ted Jolliffe stated "there was a difference between his speeches at the [Oxford] Union and his speeches at the Labour Club. His speeches at the Union had more humour in them; the atmosphere was entirely different. But his speeches at the Labour Club were deadly serious.... His influence at the Labour Club, more than anyone else's, I think, explains the failure of the Communists to make headway there."[8] In 1935, the Soviet controlled Comintern's Seventh Congress, called for a united left response to fascism, called the popular front. The communist October Club used this call, for a popular front, as a pretext to have a union between themselves and the Labour Club.[7] Under Lewis' leadership, the club was able to easily defeat a motion by the October Club, as only 20 OULC members voted for the union.[9]

When Lewis returned to Canada in the summer of 1935, there really wasn't anyone to replace him, to keep the communists at bay[10] as The Isis noted: "The Labour may have rejected fusion [with the October Club] but the matter is not yet settled. An interesting thing is the dearth of what are technically known as 'promising people' in the ranks of the Labour Club. For years the Labour Club has been turning out a Geoffrey Wilson, a Frank Hardie, a John Cripps, a David Lewis, each year: but this [coming] year there seems to be no figures as outstanding as these."[11]

Since there was not a strong Labour leader to take over from Lewis after he graduated and left in the summer of 1935, the Labour Club amended its constitution to remove impediments to fusion with the communist October Club in December 1935. Shortly thereafter the two clubs joined together forming a "popular front". The club's membership peaked before the war at between 1000 and 1200 members depending on whose numbers were used, which was approximately a fifth of all of Oxford's 5023 students. Of the club's total membership, the Communists made up approximately less than 200 members.[10][12]

The national Labour Party appointed Janet Royall, to head an inquiry into allegations of antisemitism within the Club made in February 2016. The then-current Co-Chair and another officer resigned from the Club, alleging they were disturbed by the discrimination and antisemitism they alleged was inherent in the Club.[13][14][15] The report - which was not published in full but was leaked to the media in August 2016 - concluded that antisemitic incidents had occurred and some Jewish members felt uncomfortable attending the Club, but that the extent of the problem was hard to verify.[16]

OULC used to be affiliated with Labour Students, and former OULC members have held a number of positions there. In February 2011, OULC disaffiliated from Labour Students for a one-year period as a protest over the way the organisation was run. In February 2012, OULC voted by 20 to 4 to rejoin Labour Students citing the progress made by the leadership of the organisation in improving accountability and democracy. However, in 2019, the club voted unanimously to disaffiliate with the co-chairs Owen Winter and Rosie Sourbut citing incompetence by Labour Students’ national committee and the expulsion of all but one Northern Labour Club.[21] Shortly afterwards Labour's National Executive Committee voted to disaffiliate Labour Students altogether.

Following the recreation of Labour Students in 2022, OULC narrowly voted to support a motion in favour of engaging in their upcoming internal elections by endorsing candidates. Two members of OULC stood for the 2022 Labour Students executive, including one candidate for chair.[22]

OULC also has links with other socialist organisations, trade unions, and Labour Party groups, including the Oxford District, Reading and Slough Labour Parties.

Since the establishment of the Oxford University Student Union (OUSU) in the early 1970s, OULC has maintained a presence. There have been many Labour presidents, starting with John Grogan in the early 1980s, and OULC candidates have in recent years been successful in the 1999 (Anneliese Dodds), 2000 (Kirsty McNeill), 2004 (Emma Norris), 2005 (Alan Strickland) and 2006 (Martin McCluskey) elections. Whilst the Club no longer runs official candidates, OUSU's executive committee and delegate body has also had a Labour presence. In 2019, former co-chair Anisha Faruk was elected president of Oxford SU, and her fellow co-chair Ray Williams was elected VP for Access and Academic Affairs.[23]

Stephen Twigg was National President of the National Union of Students and an OULC member in the early 1990s.

Six current or former members of OULC currently sit on Oxford City Council, and one is a County Councillor in Oxfordshire. As of the 2016 Oxford City Council Elections, Dan Iley-Wiliamson, OULC Membership and Alumni Officer at the time, was elected as a councillor for the Holywell ward, serving most city centre University colleges. In 2021, Michael O'Connor, a graduate student and OULC member, was elected County Councillor for Holywell Ward.[24]

A number of former OULC co-chairs stood for council seats in 2022, including David Parton[25] and Eleanor Ormsby,[26] both for Westminster City Council.

At the 2005 General Election, five recent former OULC members stood for election as Labour candidates. In the 2019 election, Rosie Sourbut, who had been the co-chair earlier that year,[27] ran as the Labour candidate in Oxford West and Abingdon.[28]

In parliament former OULC members currently include Angela and Maria Eagle, Ed Miliband, Rachel Reeves, Ellie Reeves, Anneliese Dodds, Bridget Phillipson, Keir Mather, and Alistair Strathern. While no longer in parliament, John Grogan, David Miliband and Ed Balls were OULC members at Oxford (Balls was also a member of the Oxford University Conservative Association) and before Britain left the European Union, OULC alumni Richard Corbett and Mary Honeyball were both members of the European Parliament.