Aaron Porter

Aaron Porter
Speaking at a press conference on the morning of the Demo2010.
54th President of the National Union of Students
In office 10 June 2010 – 30 June 2011
Preceded by	Wes Streeting
Succeeded by	Liam Burns
Personal details
Born	(1985-01-11) 11 January 1985 (age 32)
Nationality	British
Political party	Labour
Alma mater	University of Leicester

Aaron Ross Porter (born 11 January 1985) is the former President of the National Union of Students in the United Kingdom; he was elected with a 65% majority and took office in June 2010 for one year.

In 2010, Porter lived with his parents in Norbury, south London. His father is a policeman who grew up in London and his mother is a teacher from Trinidad.

Porter studied at Wilson's School in Wallington in south London, before studying English Literature at the University of Leicester, graduating with a BA in 2006. He took a leading role in the University of Leicester Students' Union, serving as the Union's Finance and Services Officer, and then as its Academic Affairs Officer, as well as being the editor of the student magazine, The Ripple.

Prior to becoming NUS President, Porter was twice elected as the NUS Vice-President (Higher Education), serving from July 2008 to June 2010. He was the first officer from the University of Leicester Students' Union to be elected to the National Union of Students' Executive Committee. Porter is openly gay.

Porter stood for the Presidency of the NUS as the candidate of the Organised Independents faction, but is a member of the Labour Party. He was subsequently elected with a 65% majority and took office in June 2010, which he would hold for the period of one year. Taking control of the Union, Porter put forward his views that he was in favour of lowering the voting age to sixteen, and stated he would lead a national demonstration against the government’s planned rise in tuition fees before any vote in Parliament on the issue. On taking up the NUS Presidency, Porter was profiled in The Observer where he re-stated his opposition to any increase in tuition fees as well as the need for a new approach to campaigning that includes both formal lobbying as well as active campaigning.