Liz Truss brought the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) to London, promising a slice of American right-wing spectacle. However, the event was a mixed bag, with empty seats and controversial attendees dominating the narrative.
Small Crowds and Headliners
The medium-sized ballroom was set up with 500 seats, but for most of the conference, only about a third were filled. More attendees turned out for Nigel Farage, Suella Braverman, and Jacob Rees-Mogg, but it was never a struggle to find a seat. Farage, clearly the headliner, launched his Clacton by-election campaign at the event, delivering his first speech to a small room of right-wingers in London.
Moments of Levity and Self-Awareness
There were moments of levity. Truss tried a golf simulator and later admitted she wasn't very good at it. Reform UK's Andrea Jenkyns shared a preposterous anecdote about showing her son Little Britain and Father Ted, claiming he asked why they don't laugh like that anymore, to which she replied, "Unfortunately, you can't show these things in schools... at the moment." Truss, perhaps at her least self-aware since leaving Number 10, moaned about the frequent turnover of British Prime Ministers, predicted Andy Burnham would crash the economy, and accused her own party of being "ideologically captured" by "DEI." She acknowledged her dream of a "Trump-style revolution" was a work in progress.
Controversial Attendees
Along with the format and branding, Truss imported the low barrier to entry that characterizes CPAC in the US. The event welcomed a broad church of the British right-wing, including teenage online provocateur Young Bob and Nick Tenconi, leader of what's left of UKIP, who once called for Brits to "outbreed the invaders." When asked if she was comfortable with such attendees, Truss said yes, calling them "a group of people who care about the future of Britain" and accusing the journalist of trying to "dehumanise" people on the right.
Defending Free Speech
Truss defended the conference's inclusivity, stating, "This conference isn't really about party politics, it's about what do we actually do to fix Britain. People are talking about the issues, like people are being jailed for free speech." She added, "I believe in a free press, Mikey, which is why you're here," despite her and other speakers attacking the media for reporting on the event.
If Britain's worst Prime Minister truly wants to unite the right for a "Trump-style revolution," she is taking cues from America's worst President and embracing the right's less savoury characters along the way.
