I’ve done my time at UKIP conferences and rallies, and caught a couple of proper US CPACs — DC back in the day and Dallas just a few months ago. Those events are engaging, polished, informative, and leave you with a sense that something’s stirring. So when the first CPAC Great Britain popped up in London mid-July, I thought it could be a decent shot at bringing some of that fire over here.
It didn’t quite work out that way. Thin crowds, a venue stuck out in East London, and an overall feeling that it never really got off the ground. A lot of that comes down to how Liz Truss handled things as the local lead.
The location was odd from the start. Shoving it way out at the InterContinental by the O2 Arena meant it was nowhere near Parliament or the usual political scrum. The American versions feel connected. This one just felt isolated. The little exhibition hall was underwhelming and largely empty (despite being tiny). Media stuff was basically nonexistent. For an event trying to kick off something big, those basics matter.
Turnout was the biggest tell. They had around 500 seats ready, but most sessions were maybe a third full. Toward the end it dipped even lower — around 100 for the last day. Pauline Hanson, the Australian politician who could well be a future PM down under, addressed roughly that same modest crowd. Embarrassing, really.
One screening of Tim Ballard’s new film, the follow-up to Sound of Freedom on trafficking, pulled in only 15 people. Fifteen. That’s not a slow burn. That’s a red flag. I’ve sat in many UKIP branch meetings that had more life on quiet days. This felt flat.
The American speakers got the short end. Matt Schlapp trusted the UK side to make it happen. Then Posobiec, Del Bigtree, and others made the long haul only to face a lot of empty chairs. That’s not fair. These guys didn’t come for a holiday — they put in real effort and expense. Seeing strong talks land in half-empty rooms left everyone looking a bit flat-footed.
There were some decent moments. Farage brought energy as the headliner, and Braverman and Rees-Mogg added weight. But too many other folks on stage didn’t have that national pull. Dan Wootton called it straight when he wondered aloud why Tommy Robinson and Rupert Lowe weren’t part of it. Those holes showed.
Even the heavier topics got shortchanged. There was a panel trying to link anti-Semitism with Islamism, but it stayed surface level — no real definition, just crammed into 30 minutes. Islamisation and the deep history of Jew-hatred deserve more than that.
For 1,400 years, Islamic ideology has been the most perpetual threat to Jewish safety. Brushing past it like that in today’s Britain seemed odd, to put it mildly. A missed opportunity to confront the biggest threat to Britain’s very existence.
And then there’s Truss’s own background. After 14 years in Parliament, her record often reads more Lib Dem than old-school Conservative. She went along with lockdowns and vaccine passports, held pro-abortion and strong LGBT lines, stayed quiet on grooming gang victims, didn’t push hard on Islamisation, saw taxes go up, and the military took knocks. A clear Christian anchor wasn’t really visible either. Putting her in charge of a CPAC event came across as a mismatch.
Matt Schlapp brought the brand. Truss was supposed to deliver. The low numbers and clunky feel suggest it didn’t come together. It echoes her short prime ministership — ambitious but uneven. This time it risked letting down the Americans who showed up in good faith.
I’ve seen what clicks before. UKIP could generate real grassroots heat. The US events know how to scale it. A British one needs both, plus straight talk on the big stuff. This outing mostly highlighted the gaps.
Britain’s conservative scene needs proper platforms. Good ideas alone don’t cut it. You need packed rooms, valued speakers, and the willingness to name problems without flinching. The visitors and locals who bothered to come deserved better.
Next round, let’s hope they fill the seats, sharpen the focus, and treat the whole thing like it actually matters. Because it does.
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