From Monday 1st December – Friday 12th December, a petition titled ‘’, submitted by Finlay Deane and seconded by Daniel Horton was live on the Liverpool Guild of Students website with the below wording:
“The NUS, which was once a force for good, has now become financially motivated and undemocratic. Students have demanded better for years; it's now clear that NUS can't be fixed: 1. Liverpool Guild pays an eye-watering £30,700 to NUS UK a year in affiliation fees. This money could be better spent on our own societies. 2. NUS's democratic reforms have reduced students' opportunities to democratically influence NUS's work and positions. We no longer have a real voice in what is supposed to be our 'national union'. 3. NUS UK and NUS Charity are two separate organisations. By disaffiliating from NUS UK, we will still be eligible for charity benefits.”
Having reviewed eligible signatures, we can confirm the petition has achieved over the required quoracy of 3% (947 students). This has been verified by the Returning Officer.
As a result of the petition meeting quoracy, a referendum will be held on the matter discussed within the petition. A formal callout for campaign teams will take place in the new year, with a voting period due to take place between 9am Monday 23rd February to 10am Thursday 26th February 2026.
This petition was undertaken in accordance with the Guild’s democratic processes and was an opportunity for the Guild’s membership to have their say on the matters expressed within the petition submission. Any next steps to be taken by the Guild will be undertaken in accordance with the Guild’s democratic processes and governing documents.
If you have any questions about the above, please do get in touch at