Boris Johnson ally quits U.K. government with a blast at Prime Minister Rishi Sunak
The Hindu
A British Environment Minister who is close to former Prime Minister Boris Johnson quit on June 30, accusing the current government of apathy toward climate issues. Zac Goldsmith said Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was “simply uninterested” in the environment.
A British Environment Minister who is close to former Prime Minister Boris Johnson quit on June 30, accusing the current government of apathy toward climate issues.
Zac Goldsmith said Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was “simply uninterested” in the environment.
“This government's apathy in the face of the greatest challenge we have faced makes continuing in my current role untenable,” he wrote in a resignation letter released on social media.
He said Britain has “visibly stepped off the world stage and withdrawn our leadership on climate and nature.” Mr. Goldsmith, Sunak and Johnson are all members of the governing Conservative Party.
Mr. Goldsmith, 48, is a long-time conservationist who was appointed to Parliament's unelected House of Lords by Johnson before Johnson resigned almost a year ago amid ethics scandals.
Mr. Goldsmith's resignation comes the day after he was among eight allies of the former prime minister criticised by lawmakers for trying to undermine a committee investigating whether Johnson lied to Parliament over rule-breaking government parties during the coronavirus pandemic.
The Privileges Committee found that Johnson did mislead lawmakers, and recommended a 90-day suspension from Parliament, though he avoided that ignominy by resigning as a lawmaker after the committee gave him advance notice of its findings.
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