Student Union President Ben Scanlan has unexpectedly resigned from his position within his first week in office, The Cheese Grater understands.
This follows reports that Scanlan did not attend any of the induction sessions held last week for the new sabbatical officers.
Runner up Anam Choudhary is set to take over Scanlan’s role as President and will serve as the chair of the Union Executive and Board of Trustees.
In a statement provided to The Cheese Grater, Scanlan said, “I decided that the Presidency of the Union was a position I no longer wanted to hold. The student body deserves a President who can wholeheartedly commit to the role.”
The resignation follows Scanlan’s previous criticism of elected Union officials who “abandon their duties” without consequence because “not enough people… care to change anything about [Union politics].”
The decision to quit prior to taking office will serve as a disappointment to the 1317 voters that voted for Scanlan and believed in his message to “make UCL cheap again”.
One student who voted for Scanlan said, “Ben had a mandate from students and he’s betraying the trust of thousands of voters by abandoning public office… as someone who voted for his vision of the Students’ Union this is deeply disappointing.”
Another student said, “it’s very disappointing to see all of this talk about student participation for this, it fragilises the already extremely weak foundations of student democracy”.
This appears to be the first time in Union history that a President has resigned in this manner, and there are no clear bye-laws on the Union website to address such a scenario.
However, this is not the first time that a Sabbatical Officer has resigned from post, with the Equity and Inclusion Officer resigning in 2023.
Seyi Osibamowo was elected into the position in 2023, but decided to not take up the role and withdrew following the election.
According to the Union website, “Seyi was withdrawn from the ballot and the election count was re-run”. Runner up Ahmad Ismail was declared the winner of the race.
Based on this precedent, the Union has announced Anam Choudhary will take the position of Union President in his place.
Scanlan won the leadership race back in March with 1317 votes in the final round, with Anam Choudhary securing the second spot with 1088 votes.
The Union has already removed evidence of Scanlan’s victory from the 2025 Leadership Race webpage – perhaps in order to legitimise the new President.
Choudhary, who was endorsed by UCL Students for Justice in Palestine, ran on a ballot which promised to provide “affordable food, better spaces and a real student community at UCL.”
Her plans for a “student hub” and “interfaith awareness module” differ from Scanlan’s plans to “Make UCL Cheap Again”, which prioritised cheaper prices in the bars and cafes as well as improved cost of living support for students.
However, it is clear that the new President may face heightened scrutiny and the challenge of stepping into the role without a clear mandate.
In a statement to The Cheese Grater, Scanlan said “My decision to resign was entirely personal. The staff of the SU have been amazingly supportive throughout everything. I’d also like to thank my campaign manager Rob Delaney for all of his inspiration and support.”
The Union has released the following statement: “Ben Scanlan, who was recently elected as President for the 2025–26 academic year, has taken the decision to step down before formally starting the role. We fully respect Ben’s decision and wish him all the very best for the future.”
“Following this development, we are pleased to announce that Anam Eijaz Ahmed Choudhary has been elected as your new Students’ Union President for 2025-26.”
