About the event
Members of Herts Socialist Students will be attending the Socialist Students Conference 2026, a national, one-day conference bringing together Socialist Students from universities across the UK.
The conference is focused on building a political voice for students and provides opportunities to learn, debate, vote, and network with students involved in campaigning and organising nationwide. The event is open to members and guests.
We plan to travel together by train from London to Manchester on the day of the conference. A committee member will be present throughout the journey and for the duration of the event to coordinate travel and provide support.
Travel Information
Planned travel itinerary (provisional):
Saturday 14 February 2026
- Meeting point: London Euston Station
- Meet time: 06:10
- Outbound: London Euston 06:27 → Manchester Piccadilly 09:35
- Return: Manchester Piccadilly 19:35 → London Euston 22:59
Committee members will be travelling from Hatfield Station at 05:20. Attendees are responsible for making their own way to London Euston.
Return train travel will be subsidised or fully covered, subject to SU grant approval. Please do not book your own tickets unless specifically instructed to do so by the committee.
Train times are provisional and may change depending on ticket availability and final numbers. Any changes will be communicated clearly in advance. We will always aim to travel in a way that is affordable, safe, and sustainable.
Ticket Options:
£10 Ticket - Socialist Students Conference 2026: Subsidised Group Travel from London to Manchester
Choose this option if you would like to travel with Herts Socialist Students on the organised group train from London to Manchester and back on the day of the conference.
- Includes subsidised return rail travel from London (subject to SU grant approval)
- The £10 contribution helps offset travel costs and ensures commitment
- You must be available for the planned group travel times
- Please do not book your own train tickets unless instructed by the committee
Free Ticket – Socialist Students Conference 2026: No Travel Included
Choose this option if you do not require society-organised travel and will make your own way to and from the University of Manchester.
- No travel is provided with this ticket
- You are still attending as part of Herts Socialist Students
- This option is for attendance confirmation only
Both ticket options are for the same conference event and help us plan numbers, travel, and accessibility support. If you have any questions about which ticket to select, please contact the committee before booking.
Accessibility and Support
If you have accessibility requirements, concerns about early starts, or need support during travel or the conference, please speak with our Society Inclusion Officer.
What is the Socialist Students Conference?
The Socialist Students Conference is one of the largest national gatherings of left-wing student activists in the UK. It is a full-day event focused on building the fightback against capitalism, fighting for free, fully-funded education, and an opportunity to meet students from across the country dedicated to organising on campuses to fight for socialist change.
The day will include discussions on:
- New draft constitution
- The youth fightback for socialist change
- Funding Not Fees
Why attend?
This is what James from Southampton Socialist Students said about why you should attend our 2026 conference:
“Student life leaves a lot to be desired right now. Before we even make it to university, tuition fees get hiked year by year. When we’re on campus studying, it’s under precarious conditions with cuts to resources and staff. When we get home from campus, our housing is untenable, leaving us vulnerable to exploitative landlords. When we graduate, obscene student debt burdens us, and youth unemployment is rising.
And every step of the way, we are onlookers to a world in crisis. Trump’s imperialist agenda threatens further conflict and war; it fuels further economic instability which the bosses will try to make the working class and young people pay the price for; the ravaging consequences of climate change continue to worsen. And here, Keir Starmer’s government continues to attack workers and young people. Starmer dined with the King and Trump at Windsor Castle in September, while thousands in Gaza starved.
That is why, across uni campuses, colleges and schools, Socialist Students is fighting back. We are campaigning to defend our education from government and bosses’ attacks, and fighting for decent housing, free education and socialist change.
It’s clear to see why capitalism is losing favour among younger generations. It is a system which values profit over people, and that concentrates wealth into the few, depriving the many. It offers no promising future for young people.
That’s what was behind the initial enthusiasm for Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana’s Your Party, as well as for new Green Party leader Zack Polanski’s ‘eco-populist’ platform against inequality and injustice.
Socialist Students is an organisation in which students can come together to explore socialist ideas and get involved fighting for them. We organised walkouts of school, college and uni students to protest against Trump’s state visit to the UK last year. We have led the fightback for fully funded free education under the Funding Not Fees campaign. We have fought alongside our teachers and other education staff defending jobs and our education. We have taken part in the mass protests against the slaughter or Palestinians in Gaza. And we are part of the fight for a new mass party that fights for young people and workers, and for socialist change.
On 14 February, the Socialist Students National Conference will take place in Manchester. It will discuss a new constitution to prepare for the road ahead of widespread youth and student struggles and protests.
If you want to fight for your future, for an alternative, this is the opportunity to express yourself and be heard.
Join us at Socialist Students conference!”
Why this conference matters this year
At this year’s conference, delegates will be voting on a new draft constitution for Socialist Students. This is a significant moment for the organisation and aims to:
- Broaden participation for local branches
-
Welcome members from a wide range of socialist groups
-
Make Socialist Students more inclusive, democratic, and accountable