Populist and rightwing figures take aim at Ed Miliband and UK net zero policies at ‘anti-woke Davos’

Conservative party leader Kemi Badenoch told Tory peer Philippa Stroud that Ed Miliband had made this country poorer. Photograph: Jordan Pettitt/PA View image in fullscreen Conservative party leader Kemi Badenoch told Tory peer Philippa Stroud that Ed Miliband had made this country poorer. Photograph: Jordan Pettitt/PA Hard-right figures take aim at Ed Miliband and UK net zero policies at ‘anti-woke Davos’ Kemi Badenoch, who joined US anti-abortion activists and European far-right parties at ARC, described energy secretary as a ‘villain’ Britain’s net zero policies and energy secretary Ed Miliband have come under fire at a conference of conservatives, rightwing populists and wealthy US backers linked to Donald Trump . The energy policies pursued by the British government were described as a “tragic mistake” by Trump’s energy secretary, one of a number of officials from the US administration who are attending the event. More than 4,000 delegates from 85 countries – ranging from Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch through to US anti-abortion activists and representatives of European far-right parties – are attending this year’s Alliance for Responsible Citizenship (ARC) conference in London. Dubbed by some as an “anti-woke Davos,” themes being championed from the stage at the Olympia conference centre included libertarian hostility to green economic policies, social conservative causes such as opposition to abortion and also opposition to multiculturalism. Speakers later this week include US state department officials who have sought to interfere in Britain’s abortion rights and debate around online safety regulations, while Reform leader Nigel Farage will address the conference on Wednesday. One of the key figures on Tuesday was Chris Wright, a former fossil fuel executive who was appointed by Trump as energy secretary. He described energy policies in Britain as a “tragic mistake” that had impoverished citizens. Wright, who believes the threat from the climate crisis is exaggerated, predicted that a “change of leadership” in the UK would radically reverse energy policy and align it more with the US. “Most of the major European countries are well aware of the energy mistake they have made and are trying to understand how they are going to pivot away from it,” said Wright, who joined the conference on one of the hottest days of the year in Britain as delegates inside sweltered. Badenoch and other speakers at the event – which is being funded by a host of US fossil fuel interests, major Trump donors and anti-abortion groups – repeatedly hit out at the energy secretary, Ed Miliband , a villain for many at the conference. Miliband, who has long been a hate figure for hard-right activists as the face of Britain’s net zero policies, has become the focus of increasing criticism on the right in recent weeks as he was mooted as a possible chancellor in a government led by Andy Burnham . Speaking to Philippa Stroud, a Tory peer who was one of the co-founders o