A major international conservative conference opened in London on 23 June 2026, drawing over 4,000 leaders and activists from more than 75 countries. The event was called the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship (ARC), and its theme this year was "The Age of Reconstruction," according to ARC's official website and its social media accounts.

The conference ran for three days, ending 25 June. ARC functions as an alternative to forums like the World Economic Forum in Davos, which brings together business and political leaders from across the political spectrum. Instead, ARC aims to unite conservative voices from around the world and develop policy based on conservative principles.

The choice of the word "reconstruction" is significant. In previous years, ARC conferences focused mainly on criticising policies they disagreed with — arguing that progressive approaches to energy, culture, and government institutions had failed. This year, the emphasis shifted. Instead of saying what they're against, conservative leaders are now spelling out what they want to build. That's a meaningful change: movements that can explain what they stand for — not just what they oppose — tend to have more influence when shaping laws and party platforms.

Having delegates from 75-plus countries is not routine. Most explicitly conservative conferences struggle to attract that kind of international participation. The real question now is whether those participants will actually coordinate policy together, or simply leave with a shared vocabulary of talking points.

One topic that drew considerable attention during the conference was UK energy policy, particularly the government's plan to eliminate carbon emissions by specified dates. According to The Guardian, speakers criticised Energy Secretary Ed Miliband's programme. This reflects a core argument ARC has made repeatedly: ambitious climate targets impose heavy costs on ordinary households. The UK's specific policies — including its system of contracts for renewable energy and the planned ban on new petrol and diesel cars — give conservative leaders a concrete case study to analyse and challenge.

Why does this matter now? Across Europe and North America, centre-right and populist-right political parties have made energy prices and affordability central to their election campaigns. The decisions governments are making today about electricity grids, subsidies for industry, and timelines for shifting away from coal and oil will shape what countries' infrastructure looks like for decades. When ARC brings together representatives from so many nations, the ideas debated at the conference spread far beyond London — they surface in parliaments and party manifestos across continents.

The conference was livestreamed globally starting at 08:45 BST each day, so people anywhere with an internet connection could watch. That matters because ARC's actual power depends on coordinating a network spread across many countries, not on directly influencing a single government.

Here's what to watch for: In the coming months, look for language about "reconstruction" and conservative critiques of climate mandates to appear in speeches and policy documents from centre-right and conservative parties. When thousands of delegates from dozens of countries leave an event with aligned arguments about energy security and national sovereignty, that conference gains real political weight.