Key facts
- The Alliance for Responsible Citizenship (Arc) summit is being held in London.
- The event will host approximately 4,000 attendees from over 85 countries.
- Expected attendees include Reform UK politicians, US officials, and two figures from Eton college.
- US officials attending include Sarah B Rogers, deputy head of partnerships at Eton, and a state department official involved in online safety debates.
- Corporate entities such as Johnson & Johnson, Palantir, BP, and Rio Tinto are also listed as attendees.
- The summit's themes include Christian evangelical political thinking, hostility to net zero policies, and climate skepticism.
The Alliance for Responsible Citizenship (Arc) summit, a rightwing gathering in London, is set to convene approximately 4,000 individuals from over 85 countries. The event, described as an 'anti-woke' Davos, will feature a range of politicians, advisers, and corporate leaders.
Among the expected attendees are Reform UK MPs Sarah Pochin and Andrew Rosindell, along with numerous party advisers and figures like crypto billionaire Ben Delo, a significant donor to Nigel Farage's party. Potentially raising more questions is the attendance of two leading figures from Eton college: Tom Arbuthnott, the deputy head (partnerships), and Luke Martin, a theology master. Martin previously resigned from a role at Eton in protest against the dismissal of a teacher and the promotion of what he termed 'progressive ideology'.
Speakers at the three-day event include Sarah B Rogers, US undersecretary of state for public diplomacy, who has been critical of policies by US allies and has promoted far-right parties. Other US government attendees identified include Samuel Samson, a state department official who questioned UK communications regulator policies on freedom of expression, and Jon Morgan, a senior official in the office of US Vice President JD Vance. A significant US anti-abortion presence is also expected, with over a dozen representatives from the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF).
Rodney Mims Cook Jr, chair of the US Commission of Fine Arts, is also slated to attend. Corporate entities present include Johnson & Johnson, Palantir, BP, Philip Morris International, Rio Tinto, Airbus, Sanofi, US investment fund RedBird Capital, and DP World. The conference's guiding themes include Christian evangelical political thinking, hostility to net zero policies, and climate skepticism.
European far-right attendees include members of Germany's Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), Belgium's Vlaams Belang, Spain's Vox, and the Netherlands' Party for Freedom. Tory leader Kemi Badenoch is a keynote speaker, having previously addressed the conference. At least 40 UK MPs are expected to attend, alongside Reform UK party officials.
The summit is funded by figures such as Paul Marshall, co-owner of GB News, and the Dubai-based investment fund Legatum, with past financial backing from American fossil fuel interests and Trump donors. An Arc spokesperson stated the event aims to bring together leaders to discuss recovering 'civilisational foundations' and addressing issues like demographic decline.
However, MSI Reproductive Choices has expressed serious concerns about the presence of US officials and activists, fearing the import of US-style culture-war politics into the UK. Professor Tim Bale of Queen Mary University of London commented that the summit's attendees, spanning from the fringes to the conventional right, signify a blurring of lines between the far-right and the center-right, suggesting mainstream conservatives are adopting an 'if you can't beat them, join them' approach.