Conservatives around world at war against ‘leftwing globalists’, Bridget McKenzie tells CPAC London event | Bridget McKenzie

Bridget McKenzie, the Senate leader of the National Party, attended the populist right conference in London to declare that conservatives were “at war” against mass immigration, against “left-wing globalists” and “woke” institutions, and encouraged right-wing movements in the English-speaking world to unite and fight back.

McKenzie was speaking at the launch of CPAC GB in London, the British spin-off of the influential US Conservative Political Action Conference organized by former British prime minister Liz Truss. He gave a speech on Saturday morning before joining a panel chaired by Truss, among other right-wing figures.

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson also attended the event, which is part of a tour of Britain that has come under constant criticism in the country.

McKenzie’s speech focused on Australia’s immigration program; He said Labor would oversee 2 million additional arrivals between 2022-23 and 2027-28 and argued the country should be more selective about who is allowed to settle there.

The federal Labor government has left Australia’s permanent immigration level steady at 185,000 people this year. Net overseas migration has fallen to 306,000 people in 2024-25, from 429,000 the previous year, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics data.

“I believe that if you love your country, if you respect your past and want to build a future for your children, you should not apologize for discriminating based on values, not race, in who can come and live in your country,” McKenzie said.

“If you believe that Sharia law is superior to the laws that my great country has inherited from yours, I am afraid Australia is not the place for you.”

He framed many of the problems facing Australia and Britain as part of a wider ideological struggle, claiming there was a global effort “by left-wing globalists to undermine the best of our British heritage”, which he described as well-funded, disciplined and ruthless.

“We need to professionalize, because our opponent is real, he’s dangerous, and he wants to destroy us. And our own compassion, our kindness, our tolerance, all those great Christian values, literally allow them to do this to us,” he said.

“Make no mistake. We are in a war and we need to stand together and fight.”

In his rally call to the audience, he said: “We need to be bold in our public speeches… The people need leaders who are brave enough to face the enemy, strong enough to fight them, and in the end we will defeat them.”

He also claimed Australians were not consulted on key issues, including transgender rights and net-zero energy policies.

He argued on the panel that Australia had become the “most woke” country in the Anglosphere and claimed successive governments had undermined national sovereignty with high levels of immigration, net-zero policies and decisions made by unelected bodies rather than elected politicians.

Hanson was criticized in his home country for making divisive comments about immigration levels and multiculturalism while in London.

Labor frontbencher Andrew Charlton said the One Nation leader had failed to address the most pressing issues facing Australia today.

“Australia is a multicultural country,” he told Sky News on Sunday morning.

“The waves of immigrants have contributed a huge amount to our country, and I think it’s extremely divisive to say some groups should be here but other groups shouldn’t be here.”

Liberal deputy leader Jane Hume said she condemned the One Nation leader’s comments and his appearance with far-right activist Tommy Robinson.

“I think they are unnecessary,” Hume told Sky. “They were divisive. They were seditious and they were certainly not Australian,” Hume said.

“This is not the way we work in Australia. We have a proud history of multiculturalism. We are a great nation of immigrants.”