Foreign Office Minister Zac Goldsmith has announced his resignation – Goldsmith cited what he described as the government’s “apathy” and a series of broken commitments as the reasons behind his decision.
Goldsmith stated, “I have been horrified as, bit by bit, we have abandoned these commitments – domestically and on the world stage.”
The minister highlighted the government’s decision to abandon the kept animals bill, despite previous promises and the stagnation of efforts on various domestic environmental issues.
According to Goldsmith, the UK has abandoned its pledge to allocate £11.6 billion of aid towards climate and environmental initiatives.
Goldsmith stressed that this broken promise remains undisclosed because the expenditure falls after the next general election, thereby becoming a problem for the succeeding government rather than the current one.
Zac Goldsmith said: “The problem is not that the government is hostile to the environment, it is that you, our Prime Minister, are simply uninterested. That signal, or lack of it, has trickled down through Whitehall and caused a kind of paralysis.
“I will never understand how, with all the knowledge we now have about our fundamental reliance on the natural world and the speed with which we are destroying it, anyone can be uninterested.”
In a letter addressed to Lord Goldsmith, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has confirmed the resignation of the Foreign Office Minister over a series of remarks deemed “incompatible” with his ministerial role.
The Prime Minister noted that the government believes Lord Goldsmith’s comments regarding the Privileges Committee were at odds with his position as a Minister of the Crown, necessitating a formal apology.
Sunak said: “You were asked to apologise for your comments about the Privileges Committee as we felt they were incompatible with your position as a Minister of the Crown. You have decided to take a different course.”
Sunak further underlined that the UK remains actively engaged on a global scale in the fight against climate change and the protection of the environment.
The Prime Minister said: “The UK continues to play an important role globally in tackling climate change and preserving the environment.”
