The Durham University Conservative and Unionist Association held its first annual dinner on 24 January 1934. It was hosted at the School of Art in Armstrong College. It has also been described as the first meeting, and the first president of the association was in attendance,
Lord Castlereagh. Ironically, the Durham branch of the Association, from which the current association is descended, was not the first branch of the association. When it was founded in late 1935, the Newcastle section, then called the Armstrong College (Newcastle) branch, had already been in existence for some years. By the 1950s, the name was firmly established as the Durham University Conservative Association. Come the mid-1980s the association was noted as taking a strong libertarian stance on issues. Membership reached 250, a significant number considering the 4,700 student population. In 2016, protests over
Godfrey Bloom being invited to speak saw his event held in a pub. When asked by
The Times about protesters outside the pub, the Association president commented "Yahboo and sucks to the lefties who were protesting outside - I hope you got cold." In 2020 the Association was removed from the Student Union Student Group Register over claims of 'fascist, racist, antisemitic and misogynistic' comments, made allegedly by members. The Association responded by insisting that none of its members were involved in the alleged incident, but nevertheless condemned the incident. Some committee members resigned in protest over the accusations. In order to be returned to the Register, the Association had to change its name, selecting
Durham Unionist Conservative Society.'''''' In Easter term 2023, the President decreed the redesignation of the Society to the
Durham University Conservative and Unionist Association. The Association's constitution was changed to reflect this transition. In Michaelmas term of 2023, members of the committee voiced opposition and concern to an invitation to sign the Pinsker Center's open letter written in collaboration with other University Conservative Associations expressing unequivocal and unending support for Israel regardless of their actions. As a result of their concerns a committee vote was called on signing the letter, in which the committee overwhelmingly voted to decline Pinskers offer. Subsequently, DUCUA received backlash from other university associations and the Pinsker Center for their refusal to fall in line. The then committee maintain that this was the right decision. == Port and Policy ==