United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) leader Nigel Farage will cross the pond at the end of February to speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) hosted by the American Conservative Union (ACU) just outside Washington, D.C., Breitbart News has learned exclusively.
“I am very excited to be coming to speak to so many freedom-loving individuals at CPAC this year – and I consider it an honour to do so,” Farage said in an emailed statement to Breitbart News. “In Britain, we are fighting against the creation of a client-state, against rampant corporatism, against a career political class that services vested interests and has forgotten about the world outside of their cosy, Westminster bubble. I understand that in the United States, the fight isn’t all that different. I look forward to meeting attendees and guests, and discussing how together, we can refuse to simply ‘manage decline’ and how we can alter the trajectory of our once great nations.”
CPAC will be held from Feb. 25 through Feb. 28 at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland, just outside of Washington, D.C.
ACU chairman Matt Schlapp is elated that Farage is coming, saying that his presence in the international conservative movement is a warning to the GOP establishment in Washington.
“Nigel Farage’s participation in this year’s CPAC is a significant reminder to the center-right party in America’s two-party system that it can only be successful if it captures the hearts of conservatives,” Schlapp said in an emailed statement to Breitbart News. “As the incumbent leader of the Independence Party of the United Kingdom, Farage has been one of the most influential voices in the fight for a free democracy, promotion of free market capitalism, and defending the right of every citizen to support himself and his family. Our shared values of hard work, commitment to success, and dedication to a better life has influenced our allies in the U.K. and his message is one that will surely resonate with the activists and students attending this year’s CPAC.”
Confirmed speakers who are potential 2016 GOP presidential candidates include Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee Gov. Sarah Palin, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, Dr. Ben Carson, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), real estate magnate and reality television star Donald Trump, and former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina.
Other high-profile confirmed speakers include Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), Media Research Center president Brent Bozell, radio host Mark Levin, Fox News’ Sean Hannity, Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), and more.
Farage’s party has been on the march in the United Kingdom amid a political environment where both major parties—the Conservatives, also known as the Tories, and the Labour Party—have ignored the grassroots. UKIP as a party has been around for more than a decade, but it’s this past couple years where the anger at the political class has transformed it into a tour de force as a viable option for voters upset with the establishment.
In a recent interview with Breitbart News on a trip to the United States this past fall, Farage said that U.S. conservatives seem to be going through the exact same problems with the political establishment—especially on the key issues UKIP is winning on in the U.K., including immigration and national security. Farage also said that if the GOP establishment in the United States doesn’t back down and let conservatives control the direction of the party, there may be a need for a U.S. version of UKIP to send the Republican National Committee (RNC) the way of the Whigs.
“I have no idea what the Republican Party stands for,” Farage said in the interview at the Breitbart News Capitol Hill headquarters in Washington, D.C. “I meet lots of individuals within it who want it to say one thing or another, but collectively it’s pretty blurry, it’s pretty unclear. If I was living over here, I would say to myself alright number one we’ve got to reclaim our party–we’ve got to take it away from being safe and establishment, because that way you’re never going to win because the Democrats have certain built-in advantages. If you are unable to reclaim your party, you might have to do a UKIP.”
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