Truss hosts inaugural UK CPAC as Conservative leadership stays away
The first British iteration of the Conservative Political Action Conference featured speakers including Nigel Farage, Pauline Hanson, and Jack Posobiec, marking a significant attempt by Liz Truss to rebuild her political influence.
Former UK Prime Minister Liz Truss has hosted the inaugural British iteration of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in London, a three-day event designed to galvanise the British right. The conference featured keynote speakers including US influencer Jack Posobiec, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, and Australian One Nation leader Pauline Hanson. Other speakers included pro-Trump ultranationalist George Simion and former UK minister Suella Braverman. The event was sponsored by groups such as the John Birch Society and Bitcoin-related companies. Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch did not attend, having distanced herself from Truss.
Truss confirmed to The Guardian that she remains a member of the Conservative Party, despite her short-lived premiership being used by the Labour party to attack the opposition. Truss described the event as an attempt to "galvanise the right," stating that many who identify as right-wing do not support the principles of liberty and sovereignty. Truss reiterated her claim that the Bank of England was responsible for the collapse of her 2022 government, referring to it as the "deep state."
Attendees paid between £100 and £10,000 for access to the event. Jack Posobiec, a keynote speaker, previously promoted the fabricated "Pizzagate" conspiracy theory. George Simion used his speech to reference far-right slogans such as "remigration" and the "great replacement" conspiracy theory. Reform activist Matt Goodwin claimed that the "Islamo-Green party" used Muslim "clan networks" to rig the Gorton and Denton byelection, despite police finding no evidence of criminality.
Suella Braverman gave a speech arguing that attempts to create equality have institutionalised "anti-white racism" and excluded swaths of the population, linking these claims to the case of Henry Nowak, a white student who died after being stabbed. Braverman stated that "attempts to be anti-racist have institutionalised anti-white racism," a claim made as research indicates ethnic minorities still face higher risks of discrimination by British police.
The conference, which presents itself as a bridge uniting "common sense politics," marks the latest attempt by Truss to reboot her political career. While Farage will speak on Friday, one glaring absence at the event in London is the Conservative party leader, Kemi Badenoch, who has tried to distance herself from her predecessor’s economic legacy and said she wanted a period of silence from Truss.