Extraordinary standoff after Goldsmith quits as minister over Sunak's climate 'apathy'
Rishi Sunak was embroiled in an extraordinary standoff with Zac Goldsmith yesterday after the Tory peer quit the government, accusing the prime minister of being "simply uninterested" in the environment and the climate emergency.
Goldsmith resigned as a Foreign Office minister with a highly personal attack on Sunak, saying voters would punish the prime minister at the polls over his "apathy in the face of the greatest challenge we have faced".
The peer, a close ally of Boris Johnson, said his position had become "untenable" after Sunak dropped a key animal welfare bill, broke a promise on environmental aid spending and went to a party hosted by Rupert Murdoch rather than last week's climate summit in Paris.
Sunak hit back shortly afterwards in a letter suggesting Goldsmith's departure was linked to No 10 asking him to apologise for having undermined the privileges committee's inquiry into Johnson.
"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," the prime minister wrote in an unusually blunt response.
But Goldsmith said No 10 had subjected him to "misleading briefing" as he had been willing to acknowledge his error.
He insisted that his resignation had been a long time coming because of Sunak's "lethargic" approach to the environment, in contrast to that of Johnson.
Environmental groups and opposition MPs said Sunak should listen to Goldsmith's criticisms of the government's record on the environment regardless of the controversy over the privileges committee.
This story is from the July 01, 2023 edition of The Guardian.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the July 01, 2023 edition of The Guardian.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Workers' rights Reform plans 'backed by senior managers'
Labour's plans to boost workers' rights have widespread support from senior managers, a survey suggests, as the TUC hits back at corporate lobbying against the proposals.
Starmer: We will tackle people smuggling gangs in same way we dealt with rioters
Keir Starmer has vowed to break up people-smuggling gangs in the same manner used to apprehend and jail hundreds of rioters this summer.
Gustafsson quits as CEO of Darktrace after sale
Poppy Gustafsson, the co-founder and chief executive of the British cybersecurity firm Darktrace, is to leave the company after its $5.3bn (£4.2bn) sale to the US private equity business Thoma Bravo.
Owner of Ivy 'close to deal' to sell chain to private equity
Richard Caring and fellow shareholders are reportedly close to selling the Ivy chain of restaurants for £1bn to a little-known private equity group.
'Like a boiling pot' - How the maelstrom under Greenland's glaciers may help slow sea level rise
There are stadium-sized blocks of ice crashing from the soaring face of the Kangerlussuup glacier in western Greenland, fierce underwater currents of meltwater shooting out from its base and visibility below the surface is virtually zero owing to a torrent of suspended mud and sand. It's little wonder scientists have never explored this maelstrom.
The state of the race - Why North Carolina shows how tight the US election really is
The narrow geographical focus of the US presidential election is becoming sharply apparent, with the first ballots to determine the next occupant of the White House starting to be mailed out to voters.
Amsterdam's pot crackdown: pavement gardeners bemused over city's new rules
Residents have reacted with bemusement at plans by authorities in Amsterdam to crack down on what it sees as a plague of messy plant pots.
US-Turkish woman, 26, shot dead at West Bank protest
A US-Turkish dual national has been shot dead reportedly by Israeli troops while participating in a protest against settler expansion in the occupied West Bank.
Poltava Military faces questions over toll in strike on 'elite' facility
Polina Melnyk and Ihor Tkachov were having breakfast on Tuesday when they heard the whistle of a missile fly low over their Poltava apartment block and, moments later, the sound of two explosions.
Abandoned sports centre may become first national skate park
An abandoned sports centre that escaped demolition after being turned into a backup Covid morgue could get a new role as Britain's first national skateboarding park.
