Politics

Farage to attend ‘PopCon’ event as concern grows over new Liz Truss-back movement

There is concern within the Conservative Party about a new movement launched by Liz Truss which appears to have galvanised members of the right wing.

According to reports in The Times, Nigel Farage is expected to be at the launch of the “Popular Conservatism” group this week, with hundreds set to be in attendance to see speeches from the former prime minister and her political ally, Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg.

The movement, dubbed “PopCons”, is the latest initiative launched by Truss since she was forced from office in October 2022 and is seen as a vehicle for right-wing Tory MPs.

The group is expected to use it as a platform to lobby for more hardline policies, including on immigration and tax cuts, in the Conservatives’ next election manifesto.

Truss will be a headline speaker alongside Rees-Mogg and Lee Anderson, who recently expressed regret over how he handled the Rwanda vote and appealed to the PM to give him his old job back.

Mark Littlewood, who recently quit as the long-time boss of free market think tank the Institute of Economic Affairs, will become PopCon’s director.

Related: Piers returns to No10 to hold Sunak to account on five pledges

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