Conservative peer and Boris Johnson ally Zac Goldsmith ‘very tempted’ to support Labour at next general election
A Conservative peer and former Tory minister has said he is “very tempted” to support Labour at the next election.
Lord Zac Goldsmith – who quit Rishi Sunak’s government in protest at its position on climate change – said his party does not have a “clear answer” to the “biggest challenge we’ve ever faced”.
While he is “desperately hoping” the Conservatives come to their senses, he said he is seriously weighing up switching his allegiance to the opposition.
However, he wants to hear more about what Labour will do to protect the “natural environment”, which he said was a “blind spot” when it comes to their climate policies.
He told BBC’s HARDTalk programme: “The simple truth is there is no pathway to net zero, there’s no solution to climate change that does not involve nature, massive efforts to protect and restore the natural world.
“And at the moment, I’m not hearing any of that from the Labour Party.
“If I do, if there’s a real commitment, the kind of commitment, frankly, that we saw when Boris Johnson was the leader, then I’d be very tempted to throw my weight behind that party and support them in any way I could.”
Lord Goldsmith is a close ally of Mr Johnson, who appointed him to the Lords when prime minister.
He was the government’s international environment minister until June, when he left after being named in the partygate interference report.
In a barbed resignation letter, he said he had been “horrified” by the government’s “abandonment” of policies around animal welfare, and that its efforts on environmental issues at home had “simply ground to a standstill”.
Lord Goldsmith said he was particularly concerned the government would not meet its target of spending £11.6bn on international climate programmes.
Ministers recently denied reports the pledge, aimed at helping developing countries tackle climate change, was going to be dropped.
Lord Goldsmith said while it’s “great” the government is still committed to the target “mathematically it is impossible” to meet.
He said fulfilling the promise would require spending 80% of bilateral aid on climate finance in the first year of the next government “and that obviously is not going to happen”.
Lord Goldsmith was first elected to parliament as a Conservative MP for Richmond Park in 2010. He also stood unsuccessfully for London Mayor in 2016 and was defeated by Labour’s Sadiq Khan.
His comments are the latest sign of a Tory split on the climate crisis.
Some Conservative MPs want a review of the party’s green policies after it clinched an unexpected victory at the Uxbridge by-election after opposing the expansion of London’s Ultra Low Emissions Zone charge (ULEZ).
But others have warned that backtracking on Britain’s environmental goals will cost votes among climate conscious Conservatives.
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Rishi Sunak has insisted the government is still committed to achieving net zero by 2050, but has indicated he is prepared to water down environmental pledges if they add to the cost of living crisis.
It has already been announced that energy efficiency targets for landlords will be pushed back and a flagship recycling scheme will also be delayed.
There is also anger over plans to grant 100 new oil and gas licenses in the North Sea, which critics said will send a “wrecking ball through the UK’s climate commitments” and put the government on “the wrong side of history”.