Liz Truss launches UK CPAC with far-right allies in low-turnout London event
Former Prime Minister Liz Truss this week convened the first-ever British edition of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC GB) in London, assembling a slate of hard-right figures from the US, Europe, and Australia. The three-day event, held at the InterContinental Hotel near the O2 arena, drew fewer than 200 attendees out of 500 seats available, according to reports, and a live YouTube stream attracted only 19 viewers at the opening.
Keynote speakers included US right-wing influencer Jack Posobiec, who previously promoted the fabricated "Pizzagate" conspiracy theory; Suella Braverman, the Reform UK MP and former UK government minister; and Romanian ultranationalist George Simion, who narrowly lost that country’s presidential election last year. Also scheduled to speak were Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, and Pauline Hanson, leader of Australia’s anti-immigration One Nation party. Sponsors included the John Birch Society, the hard-right US advocacy group, and several Bitcoin-related firms.
Low energy, high rhetoric
Posobiec told the audience “the British people must rise up and take back their country,” drawing applause from the few hundred who paid between £100 and £10,000 for access. Simion used his speech to echo far-right slogans such as “remigration” and the “great replacement” conspiracy theory, saying: “This is not diversity. This is replacement. The answer is remigration. Legal, orderly but firm.”
Braverman praised Truss and called for “leaders on the right” to unite. In remarks about white working-class boys, she claimed “attempts to be anti-racist have institutionalised anti-white racism” and that “inequality has been embedded in our society precisely because of attempts to create equality.” The Guardian’s John Crace described the event as “a going through the motions by C-list speakers who are well past their sell-by dates” and noted that the venue choice — a hotel near the O2 — seemed odd given that many speakers had previously described London as a “no-go zone” full of crime.
Why it matters: Truss’s reinvention and the state of the British right
Liz Truss, who served as prime minister for just 49 days in 2022 before being ousted after her mini-budget triggered market chaos, has spent the years since reframing her legacy. Rather than accept blame, she has blamed the “economic establishment” — the Bank of England, the Treasury, and the Office for Budget Responsibility. She has appeared at US conferences alongside Donald Trump, JD Vance, and other MAGA figures. The CPAC GB launch represents her most ambitious attempt to build a transatlantic bridge for the populist right.
Analysts say the sparse attendance suggests the UK’s far-right ecosystem remains fragmented. While the US CPAC has become a glitzy showcase for Trump-aligned figures, the London edition lacked both star power and audience energy. The event also highlighted tensions within the UK right: Reform UK leader Nigel Farage was scheduled to speak, but the conference was organised by Truss, whose Conservative Party credentials have been heavily damaged by her brief and chaotic premiership.
Broader trends: the globalisation of far-right populism
The CPAC GB event fits a wider pattern of far-right movements seeking to coordinate across borders. The American CPAC has long been a platform for international populists, and Truss’s effort to replicate it in London signals an attempt to embed UK activists in a global network. However, the low turnout raises questions about the depth of demand. Critics note that many of the speakers recycle the same grievances — immigration, “cultural Marxism,” and replacement theory — without offering concrete policy proposals.
Political observers warn that the conference’s small scale does not diminish its potential to amplify harmful narratives. The “great replacement” theory, promoted by Simion, has been linked to real-world violence in multiple countries. Meanwhile, Posobiec’s presence underscores the conference’s willingness to platform figures who spread disinformation.
The event also comes as the UK political landscape shifts. Labour’s Rachel Reeves remains chancellor under a new government after the exit of former PM Keir Starmer — an event that itself marked a change in British politics. Truss’s attempted comeback is a reminder that her brand of economic libertarianism fused with cultural grievance still has advocates, though whether it can attract more than a few hundred paying customers remains unclear.
What this changes: a marginal but noisy movement
For now, the CPAC GB has not altered the UK’s political equilibrium. The Conservative Party, still recovering from its 2024 election defeat, kept its distance. The event’s C-list nature and small audience suggest that Truss’s influence on the mainstream right is minimal. But the conference has provided a platform for ideas that, while marginal in the UK, are mainstream in parts of the US and Eastern Europe. As long as figures like Posobiec and Simion can draw applause in London, the transatlantic far-right will continue to test the waters.
The real test will come if Truss attempts to turn this conference into a permanent annual fixture — or if she uses it as a springboard for a more direct political comeback. For now, she appears content to play the role of disruptor, even if few seem ready to disrupt alongside her.
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