Matt Goodwin: National Preference Before Foreign Aid

Academic and author Matt Goodwin argues Britain must put citizens first — slashing foreign aid, ending open-border migration, and rejecting what he calls civilisational erasure.

Matt Goodwin's keynote was among the highest-heat moments of Day 1. He described mass uncontrolled immigration, open borders, high taxes and energy policy as drivers of "civilisational erasure" — language he attributed to critics of the status quo — and said Westminster had been hijacked by a political class that seemed to "hate your own people."

His remedy was "national preference": put Britons first on welfare, housing and services; slash foreign aid until domestic public services work; and stop visas and aid for countries that refuse to take back offenders. He linked the argument to America First conservatism and to recent net migration figures.