The gammon hoped to outlast the University of York’s Reform Society is still going strong

A gammon which was expected to outlast the University of York’s newly ratified Reform Society is still “alive”, The York Tab can exclusively reveal.

An Instagram account was created in December in protest against the creation of a new Reform Society, in what became a competition resembling Liz Truss’ rivalry with a lettuce.

Posting daily updates on “Ray”, a “proud British gammon” and “endorser” of the uni’s new Reform Society, the account explained it was awaiting to hear whether Reform Soc would be “banned for misconduct”.

After sharing updates over eight consecutive days, the @uoy_reform_gammon account hasn’t posted since December 15th. However, The York Tab can confirm that Ray the gammon is still in one piece, but looking a little worse for wear.

Reform UK Society, also known as Reform York, sparked controversy amongst students of York after becoming the third registered Reform UK society following Durham University and Exeter Reform Society.

An open letter to York SU was written, calling for the dissolution of the society, and gained over 500 signatures in a week. Students voiced concerns over the society’s alignment with Reform policies, such as banning transgender ideology in primary and secondary education, as well as cutting funding to universities that undermine free speech.

Following controversy over the open letter, the president of Reform York said: “Regarding the open letter, its existence highlights the major issues that exist at Universities across the country. Rather than wishing to engage in meaningful debate or discussion, students and staff have once again decided to try and cancel a perfectly legitimate cause.” 

The president, who currently remains anonymous, highlights how during the 2024 election, Reform UK’s position shifted as the 18 to 24 year-old demographic became more likely to vote for Reform rather than Conservative.

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The creation of the Instagram account for Ray Cyst the gammon shows some responses to the society. The account debates whether the gammon will last longer than the Reform Society. Currently, York SU have denied student claims to dissolve the society.

The anonymous creator of the Instagram account said: “We are very concerned about the formation of a Reform Soc on campus, and about reports of the behaviour of some of their members. We created Ray (the gammon) to urge York SU to act quickly on the issue, which disappointingly they have not done.”

They added: “We don’t believe the society aligns with the values of the majority of the student body or with the emphasis on inclusivity and respect the union claims to have, and we continue to hope York SU takes action to remove it from campus.”

When asked for further comment on these reports of behaviour of York Reform members, York’s Reform UK Society declined to give further comment.

However, the president of Reform York has called the gammon’s Instagram account a “Waste of good meat”. 

The spoof-gammon account itself has more than six times the followers of the official Instagram account of Reform York, though it is now inactive on Instagram. 

The owner of the account told The York Tab that they stopped posting because the creator had “Given up on York SU doing anything about it.”

They attached a picture of the current gammon, looking slightly worse for wear, with the following quote: “I’m about to kill him off cos I got a complaint from my housemates about the smell”. Fair enough.