Liz Truss has given us all so much in recent years: a mini-budget, a laugh-a-minute 49 days in office, a new monarch after the Queen died two days into her Downing Street stay, and now she has imported the US Conservative Political Action Conference to the UK. But like all things Liz, it’s predictably a bit subpar. In the US, CPAC is a glitzy Trump fest where far-right champions strut their stuff. Under Truss, it was a drab affair with little audience interest and C-list speakers past their sell-by dates.
Venue and Attendance
The venue was a room in the InterContinental hotel next to the O2 in southeast London—an odd choice, as most speakers had previously described London as a no-go zone full of murdering and thieving foreigners. About 500 seats were laid out, but fewer than 200 were occupied. Only 19 people watched on the live YouTube stream.
Opening Remarks and Speakers
American chair Mike Schlapp introduced the event, insisting attendees were doing God’s work—oddly, as the God he referenced preached loving thy neighbour, though Schlapp appeared picky about which neighbours to love. He also took a pop at the UK for being a failing country with failing prime ministers; Truss, who also identified as a chair, didn’t seem to notice the pointed dig.
The first main speaker was Toby Young, general secretary of the Free Speech Union—a sentence steeped in irony, as nobody has ever stopped Toby from talking. He said he believes in climate change but doesn’t believe in it very much, a bad move with this crowd as climate denial is a central CPAC belief.
Next was shadow business secretary Andrew Griffith. Quite what Kemi Badenoch was thinking by allowing a shadow cabinet member to share a platform with far-right headbangers is anyone’s guess. Griffith treated the event like a slightly risqué fringe meeting at Tory conference and left before anyone noticed.
Matt Goodwin and Afternoon Panels
Matt Goodwin was introduced as a celebrated academic—though “failed” would be more accurate—now reinvented as a hard-right rent-a-gob. He talked about his best friend Lucy Connolly, jailed for inciting people to set fire to refugee hotels, and insisted the Gorton and Denton byelection was rigged.
The morning ended with a panel discussion featuring David Starkey, who has turned into a sad stopped clock, and two blokes, Mike and Steve, who blamed everything on the deep state. Iain Duncan Smith realized he had made a huge mistake and tried to exit while still young enough. Truss then unveiled her latest venture, the Atlantic Strategy Institute, which will achieve nothing but make her feel less useless.
On Friday, Nigel Farage is expected, provided he is paid enough. Truly a conference for the ages.
