Liz Truss Launches First British CPAC, Drawing Hard-Right Figures to London

The inaugural British spin-off of the U.S. Conservative Political Action Conference took place in London over three days, featuring a roster of hard-right speakers from the United Kingdom, United States, Australia and Romania. Attendance fees ranged from £100 to £10,000. Sponsors included the John Birch Society, AI firm Alpha Compute and several Bitcoin-related companies.

The Guardian

Former prime minister Liz Truss, who led the United Kingdom for six weeks in 2022, organized the event as part of an effort to rebuild her political legacy after the “mini-budget” of unfunded tax cuts was widely blamed for destabilising the UK economy and was later disowned by her party. Truss confirmed she remains a Conservative Party member despite the Labour Party’s use of her brief premiership to attack the opposition.

The Guardian

Truss told the Guardian that the British right suffers from a lack of a broader movement and blamed the Bank of England, describing it as “the deep state” responsible for the 2022 crisis. Former minister Suella Braverman praised Truss, arguing that right-wing leaders must unite. Reform Party leader Nigel Farage is scheduled to speak, while Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, who has sought to distance herself from Truss’s economic legacy, was absent and has called for a period of silence from Truss.

The Guardian

The conference featured speakers who promoted extremist rhetoric, including Jack Posobiec’s call for the British people to “rise up and take back their country” and George Simion’s endorsement of “remigration” and the “great replacement” conspiracy theory. Matt Goodwin alleged electoral rigging by an “Islamo-Green party,” a claim for which police found no evidence. Critics note the event’s alignment with far-right conspiracy narratives and its potential to amplify divisive politics in the UK.

The Guardian

• “The British people must rise up and take back their country,” — Jack Posobiec, U.S. right-wing influencer

The Guardian

• “This is not diversity. This is replacement. The answer is remigration. Legal, orderly but firm,” — George Simion, Romanian ultranationalist

The Guardian

• “Attempts to be anti-racist have institutionalised anti-white racism. A whole swathe of the population is now excluded from opportunities by those preaching inclusion.” — Suella Braverman, Reform MP

The Guardian

• “I think the problem on the British right is much bigger than any one party. It’s that there isn’t a broader movement,” — Liz Truss, former prime minister

The Guardian

• “The Bank of England were largely responsible for what happened in 2022. The Bank of England is the deep state.” — Liz Truss, former prime minister

The Guardian