Zac Goldsmith

Born on 20 January 1975 at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in Chelsea, London,[20][21] Goldsmith is the middle child of Sir James Goldsmith, a member of the Goldsmith family of German Jewish and French descent, and his third wife, the Anglo-Irish aristocrat, Lady Annabel Vane-Tempest-Stewart. Goldsmith was brought up at Ormeley Lodge in Ham with his siblings, Jemima and Ben.[22] He has five paternal half-siblings,[23] and is also half-brother to Robin and India Jane Birley, his mother's children from her first marriage.[24] Goldsmith has stated "I was brought up by my father to identify very strongly as Jewish."[25]

As a child, Goldsmith was an avid reader of naturalist Gerald Durrell's works[26] and developed a committed passion for David Attenborough's wildlife programmes.[27] He later recalled, "He was my hero, and it was his work that made me fall in love with the natural world".[28] His ecological interests were nurtured further when his father gave him a copy of Helena Norberg-Hodge's book Ancient Futures, with a note saying: "This will change your life".[29]

Goldsmith's family has a long history in politics. His grandfathers were both Conservative Members of Parliament: his paternal grandfather Frank Goldsmith was a Conservative MP, while his mother's father Viscount Castlereagh (later the 8th Marquess of Londonderry) represented County Down as a Unionist MP in the British House of Commons. His maternal great-grandfather, the 7th Lord Londonderry, was an Ulster Unionist politician. Another maternal ancestor was Viscount Castlereagh, Chief Secretary for Ireland and British Foreign Secretary. Before 2005, Goldsmith supported and helped with the campaigns of Michael Gove MP and Joanne Cash.[30]

Goldsmith was educated at four independent schools: King's House School in Richmond and The Mall School in Twickenham, followed by Hawtreys School, near Great Bedwyn in Wiltshire,[31] and Eton College in Berkshire;[26] He was expelled from Eton after drugs were found in his room.[32][33] Goldsmith later said of the event "Cannabis was found in my room. I was guilty throughout my time at school, but on this one occasion I was innocent. But it seemed pointless at the time to put up any resistance. I learned my lesson, I think you could say."[34] He went on to achieve four A-Levels at Cambridge Centre for Sixth-Form Studies.[29][35]

Goldsmith travelled throughout the world with the International Honours Programme (courtesy of his uncle Edward Goldsmith),[36] including to Thailand, New Zealand, Mexico, Hungary and Italy. Goldsmith lived in California for two years, working at first for the think tank Redefining Progress[37] from 1995 to 1996, and later as a researcher for Norberg-Hodge's International Society for Ecology and Culture (ISEC) during 1996–98. While working with ISEC, Goldsmith travelled to India, spending a short time on an ashram in Rajasthan and later lived in Ladakh for six months, studying traditional cultures and helping run a tourist education programme.[38][39]

In 1997, Goldsmith was appointed Reviews Editor of The Ecologist by his uncle Edward Goldsmith, the magazine's founding editor, owner and publisher.[40][41][42] In 1998, he became Editor-in-Chief and Director of The Ecologist but did not draw a salary.[29] He relaunched The Ecologist on 28 March 2000 in a new format, transforming its academic journal-style into a current affairs-magazine format, thereby broadening its appeal and trebling its circulation.[29][43] In January 2006, when assuming a post as the reviewer of Conservative environmental policies for David Cameron, who had recently become party leader, it was announced that Goldsmith was to step down as editor.[44]

Goldsmith has spoken and written about environmental causes in Britain and has twice been invited to debate at the Oxford Union, where he delivered keynote addresses.[45][30] He writes for UK newspapers including the Daily Mail,[46] London Evening Standard,[47] Observer[48] and The Telegraph.[49][50] He is also a contributor to magazines such as the New Statesman[51] and Quintessentially Magazine.[52]

As a contributing author of the book We Are One: A Celebration of Tribal Peoples, published in late 2009,[53] which examines the culture of peoples around the world, he explores global diversities and threats facing humankind. Among the other contributors are western writers, such as Laurens van der Post, Noam Chomsky, Claude Lévi-Strauss and indigenous persons, such as Davi Kopenawa Yanomami and Roy Sesana. The book is composed of a collection of photographs, statements from tribal people, and essays from international authors, politicians, philosophers, poets, artists, journalists, anthropologists, environmentalists and photojournalists. In his essay, Goldsmith writes about how his travel around the world in his youth gave him first-hand experience of the misery brought by the promise of western "progress" and "development". He reflects on the culture of tribal people and, in reverence to it, urges people in the modern world to question what "progress" can really mean.[54]

Prior to becoming an MP, Goldsmith had non-domiciled status;[55] in February 2016, The Evening Standard quoted Goldsmith stating that non-domiciled status let individuals "make lifestyle choices to avoid paying tax" and saying "I've never been accused of not paying tax."[56] In 2009, however, Chris Huhne, Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesperson, said that Goldsmith was likely to have avoided paying £580,000 per year for each year in the previous decade as a result of his non-dom status.[57]

Goldsmith admired Conservative leader David Cameron

In 2005, Goldsmith joined the Conservative Party,[58] stating that he regarded its main rival, the Labour Party, as "the party of big business".[59] After the Conservatives lost the 2005 general election to Labour, they elected David Cameron as their new leader.[58] Goldsmith thought highly of Cameron, expressing the view that while he was generally "cynical about politicians", he felt that Cameron was different.[60] Describing Cameron, he said "I don't know David Cameron very well... [but] I like him. I think you can judge a book by its cover... [and] I think the cover is pretty good."[59]

In December 2005, Cameron approved Goldsmith's appointment as Deputy Chairman, under former Environment Secretary John Gummer, of the Quality of Life Policy Group.[58][27] The group was tasked with the responsibility of examining quality of life matters such as carbon emissions and climate change, clean air and transport with a view to formulating Conservative policy.[61] The group's 600-page report, jointly authored by Goldsmith and Gummer, was presented at the Royal Institute of British Architects on 13 September 2007.[62] For Cameron, this move was an important part of rebranding the party to escape its reputation as the "Nasty Party".[58]

The report's[63] recommendations included increased taxes on short-haul flights and highly polluting vehicles, with the proceeds being used to cut the cost of clean alternatives; rebates on Stamp Duty and Council Tax for people who improve the energy efficiency of their home; and in addition it proposed a moratorium on airport expansions.[64] The report drew criticism from Labour and from the UKIP MEP Roger Helmer, who termed the proposals "anti-Conservative",[65] as well as from David Wilshire, at that time the Conservative MP for Spelthorne near Heathrow, who contrary to the Conservative leadership stance was in favour of a third runway.[66] The report's proposals also attracted comment from the aviation industry.[67] Cameron commended the report, pledging that many of its recommendations should be included in the Conservative manifesto.[64]

His place on the roster of parliamentary candidates was announced around the time of the Conservative Party's 2005 Annual Conference, where he stated he saw no contradiction between his interest in environmental issues and being a Conservative.[68] Around the same time, he commented in an interview on his backing of the Conservative Party, arguing the Labour Party had evolved into being shaped by big business and big lobbying groups' interests[4] and had become too authoritarian and centrist.[27] Cameron recognised Goldsmith as a good prospective parliamentary candidate and in May 2006 placed him on an 'A-List' of young and diverse candidates whom he wanted to stand for the Conservatives in the 2010 general election.[59][27]

Goldsmith campaigning at a green rally outside Kew Gardens Tube Station at Kew, London in June 2008.

The Conservatives initially placed Goldsmith as their candidate for the safe seat of East Hampshire.[59] Goldsmith felt uneasy about representing this constituency, with which he had no previous connection, and thus pulled out to avoid carpetbagging.[59][69] He then entered the Richmond Park Conservative Association's open primary, which he won in March 2007.[59][30]

In 2008 Goldsmith was asked to comment about donations of £7,000 to his Party while not on the electoral register. Commenting on the issue, Goldsmith explained: "everything has been declared on time and accurately; however, for a few weeks last year I was not on the Electoral Roll, my name having been removed from Kensington and Chelsea's voter list, given that I was in the process of signing up for Richmond. Whatever was donated in that time may have to be repaid, but there is no suggestion that anything other was improprietous".[70]

In late 2009, the press asserted that Goldsmith had non-domiciled status and that as a London resident, albeit a discretionary beneficiary, he has use of British properties through a trust set up by his late father.[71] Goldsmith responded, in a statement about the suggestion of tax avoidance, that he has "always chosen to be tax resident in the UK" and virtually all his income was paid into British banks. Of non-dom status as a result of his late father's international status, Goldsmith added that he had already instructed his accountants to relinquish it of his own volition by early 2009.[72][73]

Goldsmith defeated the Liberal Democrat MP Susan Kramer in Richmond Park at the 2010 general election; he saw a 7% swing in the vote go to him.[74] The election resulted in a hung parliament and the formation of a coalition government led by Cameron and the Conservatives.[75] At the next general election, in May 2015, he increased his majority from 4,091 to 23,015 votes. He achieved an increase of 8.5 percent of the share of the vote from the 2010 general election, receiving a total of 58.2 percent of all votes cast by his constituents. This was the biggest increase in majority of any MP at the 2015 general election.[76][77]

Goldsmith co-ordinated a cross-party group of MPs to call for a Hillsborough-style inquiry into child sex abuse.[78] He co-wrote a letter to Home Secretary Theresa May demanding a full independent inquiry with six other MPs: Tim Loughton, Tom Watson, Simon Danczuk, John Hemming, Tessa Munt and Caroline Lucas. The Prime Minister, David Cameron, initially rejected the call but was subsequently forced to concede, after 145 further MPs added their names to Goldsmith et al.'s letter.[79]

In December 2015, Goldsmith voted in support of the government's plans to expand the aerial bombing of Islamic State targets.[80] He also endorsed a government bill that would have restricted trade union's abilities to strike.[81]

Sir Stirling Moss, Goldsmith, HRH Prince Charles and event founder Steven Glaser at the launch of the annual Revolve Eco-Rally on U.N. World Environment Day, 3 June 2007.

Goldsmith is known to be one of the wealthiest MPs in Parliament, given that the bequest from his father, Sir James Goldsmith, who died shortly after the 1997 general election with a £1.2 billion fortune, is subject to much scrutiny. Some tax experts have speculated Goldsmith's income could amount to as much as £5 million per year from the trust left to him alone.[82]

Goldsmith was cleared of intentional wrongdoing over election spending after Channel 4 highlighted apparent discrepancies in his expenses claims. Goldsmith insisted he had followed the same procedures as other candidates and countered by stating that Channel 4 engaged in sleazy unethical journalism.[83][84] The Bureau of Investigative Journalism complained to the Electoral Commission over the report about Goldsmith's expenses,[85] who ruled that Goldsmith had not intentionally broken any rules.[86][87]

Goldsmith clashed with presenter Jon Snow, who accused him of "prevaricating" in a confrontational live interview on Channel 4 News.[88][89][90] Both parties criticised each other in the aftermath. Snow suggested Goldsmith take the matter to OFCOM, which rejected Goldsmith's complaint about Snow and Channel 4 News' conduct.[89][91]

Channel 4 questioned whether Goldsmith had under-reported the sums spent on signs, stickers and jackets used in his campaign, and claimed his campaign spending was much higher than other MPs they investigated. Goldsmith argued that this was because the expenditure was being spread across multiple campaigns "The formula we used is exactly the same formula ... as used by MPs and candidates around the country. Every decision we took was approved by electoral experts at Conservative Central Office". It was debated whether signs that said "Vote Zac Goldsmith" and "Vote Conservative" could be charged to the election budget for a local election candidate when that other candidate was not mentioned on the sign. Goldsmith response was that it had been "checked" and that was "standard practice" across the country. The second question was about jackets with "I back Zac" stickers on the back. "They cost £2,168 but you only said you paid (spent) £170". Goldsmith said the stickers cost £170 and the jackets were "off the shelf" and would be reused for other campaigns.[92]

Channel 4 News presented their case online including scans of the spending documents.[93] Goldsmith posted a response on his blog.[94] On 21 July 2010, the Electoral Commission announced, following their initial 5-day assessment, they had decided to upgrade the investigation to the status of "case under review"[95] and to make enquiries "in order to establish the facts of the matter".[96] The Commission reported in December 2010, deciding that in "the absence of any evidence of intentional circumvention of the rules, we do not consider that a referral to the police is appropriate."[97] but they did observe that the cost-sharing between general election and local election contests was "not consistent with the Commission's guidance or good practice", that the submission was "unclear in places" and Goldsmith's campaign may have overspent by £966 in the short campaign.[86][87]

Goldsmith had initially ruled out standing as a candidate in the 2016 London Mayoral election, stating that "I think people have had quite enough of white male Etonians".[99] However, as the election approached, it became apparent that he was the Conservatives' strongest potential candidate.[100] On 9 June 2015, Goldsmith announced his interest in running for the mayoralty of London after encouragement both from members of his own party and others (notably the former Green Party Candidate Jenny Jones, Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb).[101][102] Before declaring himself as a nominee, Goldsmith spent around £50,000 of his own money sending a postal ballot to his 77,000 Richmond Park constituents, asking them if they would consent to him standing for Mayor. A majority who responded supported him.[103][104][105] On 23 June 2015, he formally put his name forward[106] with his three rivals being Andrew Boff, Syed Kamall, and Stephen Greenhalgh.[107] The London Conservatives held an open primary, in which 9,227 votes were cast; of these, 6,514 went to Goldsmith.[108] In October, Goldsmith's selection as Conservative Mayoral candidate was announced in a press release without accompanying ceremony.[108][109]

During his campaign, Goldsmith repeatedly spoke out against proposed expansion of Heathrow Airport. He stated that he was confident that the Cameron government would reject Heathrow expansion but that if they did not then he would resign as an MP and trigger a by-election.[110] In July 2015, he also condemned the Airports Commission report written by the economist Howard Davies which backed Heathrow expansion; Goldsmith claimed that Davies had already decided on his conclusion before producing the three-year study. Davies responded by alleging that Goldsmith was lying, but the latter stood by his claim, as evidence citing that information he supplied to Davies' commission was not taken seriously.[111]

A key issue in the campaign was London's housing shortage. To deal with the problem, Goldsmith suggested building "high density, low-rise buildings which are in keeping with communities" on publicly owned land currently controlled by the boroughs or Transport for London.[112] He went against prevailing opinion in London by welcoming foreign investment into the property market,[113] arguing that this investment could help to finance more house building.[114] He ruled out supporting development on London's Green Belt, although stated that option might need to be considered in ten or fifteen years hence if the city's population continued to rise.[115] He also suggested an expansion of the London congestion zone,[116] and endorsed Boris Johnson's plans to construct a Garden Bridge across the River Thames.[117]

Goldsmith was defeated by Labour candidate Sadiq Khan

Goldsmith hired Lynton Crosby's company to run his campaign and appointed Mark Fulbrook as his campaign director.[118] Goldsmith's campaign emphasised connections between Labour candidate Sadiq Khan and newly elected socialist Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn,[118] despite Khan's own attempts to distance himself from Corbyn.[119] Both the Conservative campaign and several Conservative-aligned newspapers sought to tar Khan as an apologist for, or even sympathiser with, Islamic extremism.[120] Goldsmith's campaign material referred to Khan as "radical and divisive",[118] while comments on the Conservatives' Facebook campaign material often displayed anti-Muslim sentiment.[121]

Labour accused Goldsmith's campaign of using 'dog-whistle politics' and racist or Islamophobic campaigning.[118] In April 2016, Labour MP Yvette Cooper wrote "What started as a subtle dog-whistle is becoming a full blown racist scream".[122] Conservative politician Baroness Warsi also criticised Goldsmith for using an image of the bus destroyed in the 7/7 terrorist attacks to illustrate an article he wrote.[123] Goldsmith was also accused of 'racial profiling' voters in the London mayoral campaign.[124][125][126] Goldsmith strongly denied claims his campaign had been racist and accused his rival Khan of 'playing the race card'.[127] The Conservatives responded it was "utterly predictable that Labour label their opponents as racists", citing the fact that during the 2008 mayoral campaign, the party had also accused Johnson of employing racist rhetoric.[128]

Khan's campaign emphasised Goldsmith's comparative lack of political experience and employment history.[129] Khan portrayed Goldsmith as a spoiled dilettante, stating that he "never finished anything he starts ... he's somebody who before becoming a member of parliament has had one proper job, which was given to him by his uncle."[130]

Goldsmith went on to lose the election to Sadiq Khan, who achieved 57% of the vote to Goldsmith's 43% and polled a record number of votes after second round votes were counted.

Goldsmith had promised that he would not stand as a Conservative candidate at the next election if the Conservative Party backed the expansion of Heathrow Airport, an issue to which he was strongly opposed.[131] In December 2016, he lost a by-election in Richmond Park he had initiated by the act of resigning his seat. He stood as an independent instead of as a Conservative but was endorsed by UKIP who did not stand a candidate,[132] and lost to Sarah Olney of the Liberal Democrats, who overturned his majority of 23,000.[133][134]

At the snap general election on 8 June 2017, Goldsmith regained the Richmond Park constituency as a Conservative candidate, winning with a majority of just 45 votes, the fifth-slimmest in the election.[135]

Less than 24 hours after the 2017 Barcelona attacks, Goldsmith shared a controversial post on social media which compared ISIS's ideology to that of the left-wing British campaign group Momentum.[136]

Following Boris Johnson's election as Conservative Party leader and Prime Minister in July 2019, Goldsmith was appointed as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at both the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and Department for International Development. After Amber Rudd's resignation as Work and Pensions Secretary in September 2019, Johnson reshuffled his frontbench and promoted Goldsmith to Minister of State with the right to attend Cabinet.[15] Upon his promotion, he was sworn in as a member of the Privy Council, giving him the honorific title "The Right Honourable" for life.

Liberal Democrat Sarah Olney gained 7,766 more votes than Goldsmith in the 12 December 2019 snap general election (despite the election providing the Conservative Party's largest share of votes since 1979) and won back the Richmond Park seat.[137]

Goldsmith appeared at number 98 on the 'Top 100 Most Influential Conservatives of 2019' by LBC's Iain Dale.[138]

Shortly after his electoral defeat, it was announced Goldsmith would continue to serve as a minister in the government by being awarded a life peerage and sitting as a member of the House of Lords.[18] On 7 January 2020, he was created Baron Goldsmith of Richmond Park, of Richmond Park in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames.[139]

Goldsmith's ennoblement to the House of Lords was criticised by the Muslim Council of Britain as "rewarding racism", and by opposition politicians as being "cronyist" and "hypocritical" in light of a tweet Goldsmith had made in 2012 which described the House of Lords Reform Bill as being one that promoted "party apparatchiks" and "insulated" them from "democratic pressure". However, Labour MP and former Shadow Environment Secretary Kerry McCarthy said she believed Goldsmith was committed to the government's promise to maintain standards in environmental regulation after Brexit, adding: "because of that I welcome the fact that he is still around to carry on and do that work".[140]

In his maiden speech in the House of Lords, Goldsmith rebutted accusations of cronyism, saying "One political rival described me as a 'turd that won't flush' — a phrase my children are very unlikely to let me forget. But equally I know many of those heroic people engaged in the battle to protect this extraordinary planet and the species it holds are cheered by having another voice in Parliament and it is an enormous privilege."[141]

In Boris Johnson's post-Brexit reshuffle, Goldsmith was given the additional role of Minister of State for Foreign Affairs with responsibility for the Pacific.[19]

Among his key interests is education; in an interview with Fairtrade fashion designers People Tree, he said "I've put a big emphasis on schools. One campaign is to ensure every school [is] fitted with a proper kitchen that can double up as a classroom. Children need to know where their food comes from and how to cook it. We're also trying to help every school source its food sustainably and locally".[145]

Goldsmith is a long-standing Eurosceptic. In the aftermath of the agreement on British membership achieved by the Prime Minister, David Cameron, Goldsmith announced his support for leaving the European Union.[146] In March 2019, Goldsmith was one of 265 Tory MPs that backed a no-deal Brexit being left on the table.[147]

In 2007, Goldsmith opposed the opening of a superstore by supermarket chain Sainsbury's in Barnes. He spearheaded a referendum conducted by the Electoral Reform Society to poll local residents on the issue, working closely with a local campaign group. With a turnout of 61.6%, more than 4,000 residents, who made up 85% of the votes cast, came forward to oppose the construction of the store at White Hart Lane. Sainsbury's ultimately opened the branch after revising its planning application.[148][149]

In 2010, the Labour government sought to recover its expenditure on a programme of remedial works on the public car parks in Richmond Park through the introduction of parking fees for visitors to the royal park. Goldsmith organised a rally attended by over 1,000 people in the royal park on 30 January 2010 in conjunction with other local Conservatives to protest the proposed charging.[150][151]

On 10 June 2012, Goldsmith told the BBC's Sunday Politics programme that he would not stand as a Conservative at the next election if the party supported a third runway at Heathrow airport.[152]