Zach Goldsmith is too rich to feel net zero pain, says Kemi Badenoch

Kemi Badenoch says Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park was a friend she «argued» with; on net zero policy Photo: Thomas Creech/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock

Kemi Badenoch has suggested that former net zero czar Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park is too rich to understand the need to relax some of the major climate change commitments.

The Business Secretary hinted that the former Foreign Secretary is out of touch with ordinary people because he has «a lot more money than almost everyone in the UK.»

Lord Goldsmith, the Tory environmentalist who resigned from his ministerial post in June as a scathing critic of Rishi Sunak's climate «apathy», is among several senior Conservatives publicly criticizing the net zero shock.

< p>The Prime Minister said he would cut a number of green measures to spare the public the “unacceptable costs” of the transition period.

Announcing the move on Wednesday, he warned that voters would turn against the UK's commitment to net zero carbon emissions by 2050 unless politicians were more honest and «realistic» about the financial implications.

Lord Goldsmith is among several senior Conservatives publicly criticizing the net zero shake-up. Photo: Andrew Price

Lord Goldsmith said Mr Sunak was trying to «turn the environment into an American-style political wedge issue».

He warned the Prime Minister would be remembered for his leadership as Britain «turned his back to the world and future generations.»

Asked by LBC on Thursday about his remarks, Ms Badenoch said: «You chose to make negative comments, there are a lot of Tory MPs who are very positive about it. You express only one opinion.

“Zach Goldsmith is very environmentally conscious and a friend of mine. But the fact is that he has a lot more money than almost everyone in the UK.

“That's not how we make decisions, we need to make decisions based on facts.”

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'Zach Goldsmith has a lot more money than anyone in the UK…'

“Rishi Sunak was the 222nd richest person in this country, so is he completely out of the loop too?” @NickFerrariLBC asks Kemi Badenoch about Lord Goldsmith's criticism of the Prime Minister's new position on Net Zero. pic.twitter.com/HfZpbHbOuJ

— LBC (@LBC) September 21, 2023

Asked if the Prime Minister was also out of touch because of his wealth, she replied: “They do completely different things.”

“The thing is, I want to say that Zach Goldsmith is a man of one opinion. He's a friend of mine, he and I argued about this.

“But the main thing is that you can't cherry-pick comments and say they reflect the whole Conservative Party. This is simply not the case.”

Mr Sunak delayed a ban on the sale of new petrol cars from 2030 to 2035, pushed back a ban on the sale of new oil boilers from 2026 to 2035 and increased heat pump grants by £7,500.

He also promised no new taxes to discourage people from eating meat or flying, ruled out a ban on car sharing among drivers and scrapped plans for households to use up to seven recycling bins.

p> What are Rishi Sunak's changes to the zero emissions policy?

Ms Badenoch insisted the policy change was the «right thing for Britain» as she pledged her full support for Mr Sunak.

«This is not some cynical ploy,» she said she.

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“I have been working as a business secretary for almost a year. I know what businessmen say. It's not just about big business, there are also small businesses to think about.

“This is the right thing to do and I fully support the Prime Minister.”