The Oxford Student can exclusively reveal a number of extra speaker events announced by the Oxford Union that were not previously listed in the HT23 termcard announced at the start of this term.
They include the former Prime Minister of the UK, Sir John Major, the Crown Prince of Iran, Reza Pahlavi, and the Ukrainian Ambassador to the UK, Vadym Prystaiko. Other events include the Abraham Accords Panel today, and Baroness Rogers of Riverside, founder of the River Cafe.
Sir John Major will be hosted at 5pm on Wednesday 8th March and is known for his tenure as Prime Minister from 1990 to 1997. He is remembered for committing British troops to the Gulf War, withdrawing the Pound from the European Exchange Rate Mechanism, and overseeing a series of scandals within the Conservative Party. Since his defeat to Tony Blair in 1997, he has kept a largely low profile, but he has been highly critical of Brexit and its consequences.
The Crown Prince of Iran, Reza Pahlavi, will speak at the Union at 5pm on Monday 27th February. He is the son of Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran, and prior to the Iranian Revolution in 1979, he was heir apparent to the throne of the Imperial State of Iran. He is a well-known critic of Iran’s Islamic Republic Government and is a leading figure amongst Iranian dissidents.
The Ukrainian Ambassador to the UK, Vadym Prystaiko, will address the Union at 5pm on Thursday 9th March. Prystaiko previously served as a Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs, as well as the Ukrainian Ambassador to Canada and the head of the Mission of Ukraine to Nato. He has led calls within the UK for more support to be given to Ukraine in their war against Russia.
Other events include the Abraham Accords Panel tonight, which will play host to the Ambassadors of Israel, The UAE, and Bahrain, and Baroness Rogers of Riverside who will speak at 8pm on Wednesday 1st March. Baroness Rogers is an acclaimed chef, cookbook author and podcast host, and she co-founded the world famous The River Cafe in 1997.
Union President Charlie Mackintosh told The Oxford Student: “Throughout the term, our committee continue to work hard to organise events for the members; these three events represent the fruits of that labour. I really hope that the members enjoy these additions to our termcard.”