Cameron to attend secretive Bilderberg meeting

Prime Minister David Cameron is to attend a meeting of the secretive Bilderberg group on Friday as the gathering of top politicians, academics and business leaders holds a four-day conference near Watford.

A spokesman for 10 Downing Street confirmed he would take part in a discussion at the invitation-only annual forum, which is controversial for its lack of public accountability and has become a magnet for conspiracy theorists.

International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Google chairman Eric Schmidt, and former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger are among the 140 delegates from 21 countries in attendance this year, according to the Bilderberg website.

The event, hosted by a different country each year, is taking place from June 6-9 at the luxury Grove Hotel in Hertfordshire.

The Downing Street spokesman said: “My understanding is that it is usual for Bilderberg to invite the head of government of the country where it is meeting.

“(Cameron) will participate in a discussion around domestic and global economic issues.

“He feels it is an opportunity to discuss economic issues with senior ministers, businesspeople and academics.”

Cameron’s office could not provide details of those involved in the discussion and said it would not be releasing a summary of the conversation afterwards, as is usual when the prime minister meets foreign leaders.

More than 100 protesters greeted the start of the conference on Thursday, with Labour MP Michael Meacher saying: “These are people who are all in the most dominant positions in the governance of Western capitalism… My objection is that it’s being done in utter secrecy with the police keeping everyone else out.”

More extreme anti-Bilderberg campaigners have described it as a shadow world government.

Texan broadcaster Alex Jones said at Thursday’s protest, “We are exposing the puppet masters hiding behind a ring of steel,” according to a report in the Independent newspaper.

Bilderberg was founded in 1954 “to foster dialogue between Europe and North America”, its website says, but until recent years its existence was rarely acknowledged. It is run by a steering committee headed by Henri de Castries, chairman of AXA Group.

The website says it is “a forum for informal, off-the-record discussions about megatrends and the major issues facing the world”, which does not issue an agenda, hold votes or give policy statements.

“Thanks to the private nature of the conference, the participants are not bound by the conventions of office or by pre-agreed positions. As such, they can take time to listen, reflect and gather insights,” the site says.

British attendees this year include Chancellor George Osborne and his opposition counterpart Ed Balls.

Topics up for discussion include economic growth, “big data”, US foreign policy, “Africa’s challenges”, cyber-warfare and online education, the website says.

The 2013 event is being run by a British-registered charity but Cameron’s spokesman declined to discuss reports it could cost taxpayers up to £2 million in policing costs.