The Leeds Salon is a public discussion forum founded in February 2009. The Salon organises discussions around political, cultural and scientific issues, with the aim of challenging any orthodoxies along the way, defending and developing the legacy of the Enlightenment and, above all, providing a space where free speech can take place. Find out more.
next salon
Wednesday 28 October 2026
Vibe Shift with Brendan O’Neill
For our satellite event for the Battle of Ideas 2026 festival of debate*, we welcome back journalist and author Brendan O’Neill to discuss his new book Vibe Shift: The Revolt Against Wokeness, Greenism and Technology.. Recently, weve recently seen growing opposition to the policies and what some term the ‘luxury beliefs’ of sections of the ruling elite; in particular around the issues of transgenderism, apocalyptic […]
salon & school debating news
Sixth Form Debating Competition 2026
Royal Armouries Museum (Leeds) hosts its fourth, annual sixth form debating competition in partnership with The Leeds Salon on Wednesday 25th November.
This is an all-day event involving 8 Yorkshire schools – Abbey Grange CofE Academy, Beckfoot School, Bradford Grammar School, Grammar School at Leeds, Guiseley School, Horsforth School, Pudsey Grammar School and Titus Salt School.
The schools will be divided into two groups of four to compete in a knock-out format, with the winners of each group meeting in the final.
Prizes will be awarded to the winning team and runner-up. Also awarded will be three Royal Armouries individual prizes and a Leeds Salon individual prize.
A link to the event details will appear here soon.
The competion is sponsored by the UK’s Real Estate Investment and Infrastructure Forum UKREiiF and Wakefield-based public sector procurement company YPO, with additional sponsorship from leading international law firm Pinsent Masons (Leeds). The competition uses the format and topic guides of Debating Matters.
Sponsored by:
Additional Sponsorship
Format
Womble Bond Dickinson / Leeds Salon Years 10&11 Debating Competition 2026
The final of the ‘The Womble Bond Dickinson / Leeds Salon Years 10&11 Debating Competition 2026’ took place on Wednesday 1st April at the WBD Leeds offices – the fourth year leading transatlantic law firm Womble Bond Dickinson (Leeds) has been Headline Partner in the thirteenth year of our annual competition for 14-to-16 year-olds.
The four qualifying rounds winners – Abbey Grange CofE Academy, Carr Manor Community School, Guiseley School and Mount St Mary’s Catholic High – competed over two knock-out debates and final decider.
Carr Manor Community School were declared 2026 Champions for the second time and year running, and Guiseley School were runners-up.
There were also three individual prizes awarded to: ‘Best Individual’ Layla Qahwaji of Guiseley School; ‘Highly Commended Individual’ Bella Middlemiss of Abbey Grange, and ‘Commended Individual’ Zephanial Mellor of Carr Manor.
Prize Sponsors were: Royal Armouries Museum (Leeds); the University of Leeds’ IDEA: The Ethics Centre; Leeds-based UK’s Real Estate Investment and Infrastructure Forum UKREiiF; and Debating Matters, whose format we use.
Thank you to our teams of panel and individual judges: John Connor and Razvan Popa of Womble Bond Dickinson; Director General of the Royal Armouries Nat Edwards, Director of Civitas Schools and DM Ambassador Justine Brian; Robbie Arrell and Ruby Hornsby of IDEA: The Ethics Centre; Assistant Director of Research & Pedagogy at Outwood Grange Academies Trust Tarjinder Gill; Assistant Director at HMRC Russell Thomas; creative project consultant Jo Caswell; and the Leeds Salon’s Dan Clayton.
Prize Sponsors
