Nigel Farage is reversing course and will speak as a main headliner at a major conservative conference in London next month, undoing weeks of public distance from the event that his party had signaled he would skip.
The Reform UK leader announced he will address the Conservative Political Action Committee (CPAC) gathering on July 16-18 at London's O2 Arena. The American-style summit is being brought to Britain by former Prime Minister Liz Truss, who took control of the British chapter of CPAC earlier this year.
The shift marks a sharp reversal. In March, Reform sources told the Guardian that Farage would be "steering clear" of the event. When pressed about his attendance by the same outlet after a press conference, Farage played it coy, saying only that he had not confirmed either way.
Farage's appearance will place him among a roster of hard-right figures and personalities. Jack Posobiec, a US rightwing influencer who has championed mass remigration and previously promoted the false "Pizzagate" conspiracy theory, is also on the bill. At the 2024 US CPAC gathering, Posobiec said on stage: "Welcome to the end of democracy. We are here to overthrow it completely. We didn't get all the way there on January 6, but we will endeavour to get rid of it." He later claimed his remarks were misunderstood.
Former Conservative Cabinet minister Jacob Rees-Mogg will also speak, reversing an earlier position. Sources close to him suggest he changed his mind after concluding that staying away would leave Truss politically isolated.
The CPAC GB line-up includes Matt Schlapp, the US chair of CPAC and a Trump administration lobbyist; YouTuber Peter McCormack; Conservative peer Toby Young; and Lucy Connolly, a former X user imprisoned for inciting arson at asylum hotels who now brands herself a free speech advocate. Reform UK candidate Matt Goodwin rounds out the announced speakers.
Tickets range from £100 to £10,000 for VIP access, which includes premium seating, drinks events, and a Winston Churchill gala dinner.
Farage's decision to take the stage comes at a complicated moment for both him and his party. Reform UK has bled support to the right in recent weeks, with Rupert Lowe's Restore Britain gaining ground in the Makerfield byelection. The Reform leader is also under mounting pressure over a £5 million donation from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne that was not declared before the election. The gift is now under investigation by the standards commissioner, and Farage has largely avoided his customary press engagements since the donation became public.
Truss, who served as prime minister for 49 days in 2023 before resigning over economic mismanagement, has drifted further rightward since leaving office. However, she has not found a home in Reform UK, partly because of lingering public anger over how her mini-budget hammered mortgage rates.
The CPAC GB event reflects a broader wave of well-funded rightwing conferences now taking root in London. The Alliance for Responsible Citizenship is holding its own gathering in June, featuring speakers including Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch. Farage has not said whether he will attend that summit. Last year's ARC event featured Farage and psychologist Jordan Peterson, backed by investors including Paul Marshall, co-owner of GB News, and the private investment firm Legatum.
Author James Rodriguez: "Farage talking out of both sides of his mouth is hardly surprising, but the speed of the reversal and the company he's keeping raise real questions about the rightward drift of British politics right now."
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