When British supermarket giant Tesco withdrew from the US in 2013 just six years after opening its first Fresh & Easy store, it was criticised for failing to appreciate important differences in how Americans and Brits do their grocery shopping.

On the evidence of last week, a similar charge could be levelled at the American National Conservatism movement. Their flagship conference in London, featuring US speakers including Republican senator JD Vance and leading British conservative politicians, was met with more of an irritable eye-roll than a buzz of excitement. Critics included figures on the British centre-right, writing in rightwing publications. How did the organisers misjudge their target market so badly?

Their first mistake was a failure to appreciate quite how radical the US Republican party has become on social issues, and how comparatively moderate Britain’s Conservatives are. From immigration and racial discrimination to whether to defend tradition or embrace change, UK Conservatives actually come out closer to US Democrats than Republicans.