London: An ally of former British prime minister Boris Johnson on Friday resigned as an environment minister, highlighting the “apathy” of the current government led by Rishi Sunak and accusing it of being “simply uninterested” towards climate issues.
Lord Zac Goldsmith, 48, who was a minister in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), was the only serving minister to be criticised by the cross-party committee.
“This government’s apathy in the face of the greatest challenge we have faced makes continuing in my current role untenable,” reads his resignation letter uploaded on social media. However, Downing Street soon released Sunak’s response to Goldsmith which revealed that he had been asked to apologise to lawmakers for trying to undermine the House of Commons Privileges Committee investigating whether Johnson lied to Parliament over the partygate scandal, or COVID law-breaking government parties during the pandemic.
“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’s response reads.
The response indicates that Goldsmith’s decision was influenced largely by the call for an apology.