Zac Goldsmith
Encyclopedia
Frank Zacharias Robin "Zac" Goldsmith, MP (born 20 January 1975) is an English environmental journalist
, entrepreneur and Conservative Party
politician. He has been the Member of Parliament
(MP) for Richmond Park
since winning the seat at the 2010 general election.
Goldsmith is the middle child of the late financier Sir James Goldsmith
. From 1998 to 2007, he was editor of The Ecologist
magazine. During this time, he became a London campaigner and commentator on environmental issues. Goldsmith became a Conservative Party
parliamentary candidate in 2005. That same year, he was appointed deputy chairman of the Conservative Quality of Life Policy Group, co-authoring its report published in 2007. He was placed on the party's "A-List" of prospective parliamentary candidates by David Cameron
, the Leader of the Opposition, in 2006.
Through an open primary in March 2007, Goldsmith was chosen to contest the constituency of Richmond Park
against the incumbent Liberal Democrats
. In the 2010 general election, Goldsmith won the seat with a majority of 4,091 votes over the Liberal Democrat Susan Kramer
. On 15 July 2010, a Channel 4 News investigation raised questions over his election expenses.
in London, Goldsmith is the middle child of Sir James Goldsmith and his third wife, the Anglo-Irish
aristocrat, Lady Annabel Vane-Tempest-Stewart. Goldsmith was raised at Ormeley Lodge
in Ham
with his siblings, Jemima
and Ben
. He has five paternal half-siblings, and is also half-brother to Robin
and India Jane Birley
, his mother's children from her first marriage. His maternal great-grandfather was the 7th Marquess of Londonderry, the well-known Ulster Unionist politician and descendant of Viscount Castlereagh
(1769–1822; later the 2nd Lord Londonderry).
As a child, Goldsmith was an avid reader of naturalist Gerald Durrell
's work and had a committed passion for Sir David Attenborough
's wildlife programmes. He later recalled, "[Attenborough] was my hero, and it was his work that made me fall in love with the natural world." His ecological interests were further nourished when his father gave him a copy of Helena Norberg-Hodge
's book Ancient Futures, with a note saying, "This will change your life."
s: at King's House School
in Richmond and The Mall School
in Twickenham
, followed by Hawtreys School
, near Great Bedwyn
in Wiltshire
, and Eton College
in Berkshire
, and later earned four A Levels as a student at the Cambridge Centre for Sixth-form Studies
, after having been expelled from Eton for possession of cannabis
.
, through New Zealand, Mexico, Hungary, Italy and Thailand
. Goldsmith lived in California
for two years, working first for an organisation called Redefining Progress 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. He spent a short time on an ashram
in Rajasthan
and lived in Ladakh
for six months, studying traditional cultures and helping run a tourist education programme. After his father's death in 1997, Zac reportedly inherited between £200 and £300 million from his father's reported £1.2 billion fortune (1997).
Goldsmith speaks and writes about environmental causes in Britain, which includes debating twice at the Oxford Union
and delivering keynote addresses. He has written for UK newspapers including the Daily Mail
, Evening Standard, Observer
, and the Telegraph
. He is also a contributor to magazines such as the New Statesman
and Quintessentially Magazine.
He is a contributing author of the book We Are One: A Celebration of Tribal Peoples, published in late 2009. The book explores the culture of peoples around the world, portraying both its diversity and the threats it faces. Among other contributors are several western writers, such as Laurens van der Post
, Noam Chomsky
, Claude Lévi-Strauss
, and also indigenous peoples, 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 talks about how his travel through 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 these people and, in reverence to it, urges people in the modern world to question what "progress" can really mean. The royalties from the sale of this book go to the indigenous rights organisation, Survival International
.
He is also the author of The Constant Economy, which outlines his political principles and concrete policies that Britain could implement for a sustainable economy.
, of a Quality of Life Policy Group. The commission was entrusted with the responsibility of examining quality-of-life issues such as carbon emissions and climate change
, clean air and transport, and to offer policy ideas based on the review. The group's 600-page report, co-authored by Goldsmith and Gummer, was published at the Royal Institute of British Architects on 13 September 2007.
The report's 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 homes; and a moratorium on airport expansions.
The report drew criticism from the Labour Party
, along with MEP
Roger Helmer
who termed the proposals "anti-Conservative", and MP David Wilshire (now retired), whose constituency included Heathrow, and who favoured construction of a third runway, contrary to the official Conservative Party position. The proposals also drew opposition from the aviation industry. Cameron commended the report, pledging to include many of its recommendations in the party's manifesto.
parliamentary candidate for the constituency of Richmond Park
. 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 an interest in environmental issues and being a Conservative. Around the same time, he commented in an interview on his backing of the Conservative party, arguing the Labour Party has become a party shaped by big business and big lobby groups interests and is too authoritarian and centrist. In May 2006, he was one of the prospective parliamentary candidate
s featured on David Cameron's 'A-List'.
His family has a long history in politics. Goldsmith's grandfathers were both Conservative Members of Parliament
: Frank Goldsmith
was a Conservative MP while Viscount Castlereagh (later the 8th Lord Londonderry), his mother's father, was Unionist MP for County Down
in the British House of Commons
. His maternal great-grandfather, the 7th Lord Londonderry, was a well-known Ulster Unionist politician. Another maternal ancestor is Viscount Castlereagh
, who was Chief Secretary for Ireland
and, later, British Foreign Secretary
. Before 2005, Goldsmith supported and was involved in the campaigns of Michael Gove
MP and Joanne Cash.
On 16 March 2007, Goldsmith won an open primary, conducted by the Richmond Park Conservative Association, to become the Conservative challenger for incumbent Susan Kramer
's parliamentary seat. He had originally planned to stand in East Hampshire
, a safe Conservative seat, but he changed his mind. "I just didn't know East Hampshire... I would have had to get worked up about issues that I didn't care about. The whole thing was so artificial. I wrote to them telling them I couldn't do it", he later explained.
In 2008, Goldsmith was involved in a breach of electoral rules when he made a donation of £7,000 to his party while not on the electoral register. Responding to the issue, Goldsmith explained, "[E]verything has been declared on time and accurately; however, for a few weeks last year I was not on the electoral roll, as I had removed myself from Kensington and Chelsea and was in the process of signing up in Richmond. Whatever was donated in that time may have to be repaid, but there is no suggestion that it was anything other than an oversight."
In late 2009, it was published in the press that Goldsmith had non-domiciled status and that the London resident, as a discretionary beneficiary, has use of British properties through the trust set up by his late father. Goldsmith responded, in a statement about the suggestions of tax avoidance, that he has "always chosen to be tax resident in the UK" and virtually all his income comes to the UK, where he has always paid full tax on it, adding that he is subject to capital gains tax on the two properties owned by the trust. A recipient 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, and before being approached by any newspapers.
raised questions over Goldsmith's declared expenses at the 2010 election, arguing "our findings do suggest that Zac Goldsmith has questions to answer about whether his spending has complied with both the letter and the spirit of the law." Goldsmith denied any wrongdoing and accused Channel 4 News of sleazy unethical journalism. The Bureau of Investigative Journalism complained to the Electoral Commission
over Goldsmith's expenses.
On 15 July 2010, Goldsmith appeared on Channel 4 News to answer questions over his election expenses. Goldsmith spent the first six minutes arguing about the details of when and how he had been asked to appear. Jon Snow
said Goldsmith gave a "travesty of the truth" on that matter and that he was "prevaricating" and running them out of time. The interview was live. Goldsmith accused Snow of being a "charlatan
". Snow suggested Goldsmith take the matter to OFCOM
. Goldsmith did so but his complaint was rejected.
Snow had two questions about the expenses. The first was about signs. "You expended £2800 on 600 signs but £262 is what you said you spent when you told the Electoral Commission on your return". The response was "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
". Snow said they were investigating 30 MPs and in terms of scale, Goldsmith's expenses far outstripped the others. The claim was reduced because the signs had been allocated to the local election budget. 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. The 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 £2168 but you only said you paid (spent) £170". The response was that the stickers cost £170 and the jackets had not been customized for the Zac Goldsmith campaign. "They are off the shelf. Look at them", Goldsmith responded further, adding that were generic jackets and will be used in other election campaigns in the future.
Channel 4 News presented their case online, including scans of the spending documents. Goldsmith has posted a response on his blog. The interview itself became a news item.
On 21 July 2010, the Electoral Commission announced that, following their initial 5-day assessment, they have decided to upgrade the investigation to the status of "case under review" and that they will make enquiries "in order to establish the facts of the matter". The Commission reported in December 2010: they decided not to refer the case for criminal investigation and that there was no intentional rule-breaking, but they did rule that the cost-sharing between general election and local elections contests was "not consistent with the Commission's guidance or good practice", that the submission was "unclear in places" and the Goldsmith's campaign may have overspent by £966 in the short campaign.
, such as Switzerland's model of using referendums, Goldsmith believes it would help combat feelings of disenfranchisement among people and increase accountability. Among his key interests is education. In an interview with fair trade
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."
, in matters such as schools, hospitals and recreation areas.
In 2007, he 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 with a revised planning application.
The government department with ultimate responsibility for the Royal Parks, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS
), is looking 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. Goldsmith organised a "mass rally" in the Royal Park on 30 January 2010 in conjunction with other local Conservatives to protest about the proposed charging. More than 1,000 people turned up.
(aka "Guido Fawkes") wrote that he had been served with a super-injunction prohibiting any mention of both itself and recent hacking into the e-mail accounts of Goldsmith, Goldsmith's then wife
, and his sister, Jemima
. The
existence of the injunction was also revealed by Wikileaks
in a press release dated 24 December 2008.
Goldsmith has been a member of the advisory board of the JMG Foundation, which disburses grants globally to a range of environmental advocacy groups using the financial legacy left by James Goldsmith. He is also on the National Gardens Scheme
's Council of Trustees as one of four Ambassadors. He is a Patron of the Mihai Eminescu Trust, which conserves and maintains communities in Transylvania
and the Maramureş
, and the Fortune Forum, a philanthropic organisation.
In November 2002, Goldsmith helped establish FARM, a campaigning organisation for British farmers. Goldsmith also funded the Organic Targets Bill Campaign to promote organic farming in 1999. He is a longstanding donor to the Soil Association
. In 2007, he was a participant at the Soil Association Annual Conference, during which he competed in an organic fashion show on 25 January and debated on a Question Time
panel on 27 January.
In 2003, Goldsmith was awarded the Beacon Prize for Young Philanthropist of the Year for his contribution to environmental awareness and protection. The following year, he received the Mikhail Gorbachev
-founded Green Cross International
's Global Green Award for International Environmental Leadership.
, with whom he has two daughters, Uma Romaine and Thyra, and a son, James.http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/lifestyle/article-23843345-the-green-goddess.do The couple wed on 5 June 1999, in a ceremony at St Simon Zelotes church in Knightsbridge
.The Goldsmiths separated in April 2009 and received a decree nisi
on 10 May 2010. The divorce has not yet been finalized. Goldsmith is presently in a relationship with banking heiress Alice Rothschild, whose sister, Kate, is married to Goldsmith's brother Ben.http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/0aa4507c-d8f6-11e0-aff1-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1fDbxoMpS
Goldsmith is an enthusiast of poker
. In 2000, he stated that he wore recycled Savile Row
suits which had belonged to his late father. Sheherazade and Zac Goldsmith were featured in Vanity Fair
s 67th Annual International Best-Dressed List among Best-Dressed Couples.
Environmental journalism
Environmental journalism is the collection, verification, production, distribution and exhibition of information regarding current events, trends, issues and people that are associated with the non-human world with which humans necessarily interact...
, entrepreneur and Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
politician. He has been the Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for Richmond Park
Richmond Park (UK Parliament constituency)
Richmond Park is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-History and character:...
since winning the seat at the 2010 general election.
Goldsmith is the middle child of the late financier Sir James Goldsmith
James Goldsmith
Sir James Michael "Jimmy" Goldsmith was an Anglo-French billionaire financier and tycoon. Towards the end of his life, he became a magazine publisher and a politician. In 1994, he was elected to represent France as a Member of the European Parliament and he subsequently founded the short-lived...
. From 1998 to 2007, he was editor of The Ecologist
The Ecologist
The Ecologist is a British environmental publication founded in 1970 by Edward Goldsmith. It addresses a wide range of environmental subjects and promotes an ecological systems thinking approach through its news stories, investigations and opinion articles. The Ecologist encourages its readers to...
magazine. During this time, he became a London campaigner and commentator on environmental issues. Goldsmith became a Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
parliamentary candidate in 2005. That same year, he was appointed deputy chairman of the Conservative Quality of Life Policy Group, co-authoring its report published in 2007. He was placed on the party's "A-List" of prospective parliamentary candidates by David Cameron
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
, the Leader of the Opposition, in 2006.
Through an open primary in March 2007, Goldsmith was chosen to contest the constituency of Richmond Park
Richmond Park (UK Parliament constituency)
Richmond Park is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-History and character:...
against the incumbent Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
. In the 2010 general election, Goldsmith won the seat with a majority of 4,091 votes over the Liberal Democrat Susan Kramer
Susan Kramer
Susan Veronica Kramer, Baroness Kramer is a British Liberal Democrat politician. She was Member of Parliament for Richmond Park from 2005 to 2010, having been an unsuccessful candidate in the London mayoral election in 2000....
. On 15 July 2010, a Channel 4 News investigation raised questions over his election expenses.
Early life
Born at Westminster HospitalWestminster Hospital
Westminster Hospital was a hospital in London, England, founded in 1719. In 1834 a medical school attached to the hospital was formally founded....
in London, Goldsmith is the middle child of Sir James Goldsmith and his third wife, the Anglo-Irish
Anglo-Irish
Anglo-Irish was a term used primarily in the 19th and early 20th centuries to identify a privileged social class in Ireland, whose members were the descendants and successors of the Protestant Ascendancy, mostly belonging to the Church of Ireland, which was the established church of Ireland until...
aristocrat, Lady Annabel Vane-Tempest-Stewart. Goldsmith was raised at Ormeley Lodge
Ormeley Lodge
Ormeley Lodge is a 1715 built Grade II* listed Georgian house set in on the edge of Richmond Park in Ham, London, where Lady Annabel Goldsmith raised her children.- External links :*...
in Ham
Ham, London
Ham is a district in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames on the River Thames.- Location :Its name derives from the Old English word Hamme meaning place in the bend in the river. Together with Petersham, Ham lies to the east of the bend in the river south of Richmond and north of Kingston...
with his siblings, Jemima
Jemima Khan
Jemima Marcelle Khan is a British writer and campaigner. She is associate editor of the New Statesman and European editor-at-large for Vanity Fair. She has worked as a charity fundraiser, human rights campaigner and contributing writer for British newspapers and magazines...
and Ben
Ben Goldsmith
Benjamin James Goldsmith is an English financier and environmentalist.- Career :Goldsmith is a founding partner of a venture capital fund that invests in clean technologies, and of its sister company...
. He has five paternal half-siblings, and is also half-brother to Robin
Robin Birley (businessman)
Robin Birley is an English businessman and political activist. He is the son of Lady Annabel Vane-Tempest-Stewart and nightclub owner Mark Birley...
and India Jane Birley
India Jane Birley
India Jane Birley is a British artist, heiress and businesswoman. She was a co-owner/manager of her father's famed London nightclub, Annabel's, in its later years, as well as some of her father's other establishments.-Biography:...
, his mother's children from her first marriage. His maternal great-grandfather was the 7th Marquess of Londonderry, the well-known Ulster Unionist politician and descendant of Viscount Castlereagh
Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh
Robert Stewart, 2nd Marquess of Londonderry, KG, GCH, PC, PC , usually known as Lord CastlereaghThe name Castlereagh derives from the baronies of Castlereagh and Ards, in which the manors of Newtownards and Comber were located...
(1769–1822; later the 2nd Lord Londonderry).
As a child, Goldsmith was an avid reader of naturalist Gerald Durrell
Gerald Durrell
Gerald "Gerry" Malcolm Durrell, OBE was a naturalist, zookeeper, conservationist, author and television presenter...
's work and had a committed passion for Sir David Attenborough
David Attenborough
Sir David Frederick Attenborough OM, CH, CVO, CBE, FRS, FZS, FSA is a British broadcaster and naturalist. His career as the face and voice of natural history programmes has endured for more than 50 years...
's wildlife programmes. He later recalled, "[Attenborough] was my hero, and it was his work that made me fall in love with the natural world." His ecological interests were further nourished when his father gave him a copy of Helena Norberg-Hodge
Helena Norberg-Hodge
Helena Norberg-Hodge is an analyst of the impact of the global economy on cultures and agriculture worldwide, a pioneer of the localisation movement, and the articulator of the core ideas of Counter-development...
's book Ancient Futures, with a note saying, "This will change your life."
Education
Goldsmith was educated at four independent schoolIndependent school
An independent school is a school that is independent in its finances and governance; it is not dependent upon national or local government for financing its operations, nor reliant on taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of tuition charges, gifts, and in some cases the...
s: at King's House School
King's House School
'King's House School' is an independent day preparatory school in Richmond, England.Founded in 1947, King's House School currently accommodates, as of 2006, 396 boys between the ages of 4 and 13 years.- Present School :...
in Richmond and The Mall School
The Mall School
The Mall School is an independent preparatory school for boys, located in Twickenham, Greater London. The current headmaster is Mr. David Price. The majority of boys go on to some of the leading London day schools, particularly St. Paul's School, Hampton School and King's College School. The others...
in Twickenham
Twickenham
Twickenham is a large suburban town southwest of central London. It is the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and one of the locally important district centres identified in the London Plan...
, followed by Hawtreys School
Hawtreys
Hawtreys Preparatory School was an independent boys' preparatory school, first established in Slough, later moved to Westgate-on-Sea, then to Oswestry, and finally to a country house near Great Bedwyn, Wiltshire...
, near Great Bedwyn
Great Bedwyn
Great Bedwyn is a village and civil parish in the east of the English county of Wiltshire.-Location:Great Bedwyn is on the River Dun about south-west of Hungerford and south-east of Marlborough, Wiltshire. The Kennet and Avon Canal and the West of England Main Line railway follow the Dun and pass...
in Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
, and Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
in Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
, and later earned four A Levels as a student at the Cambridge Centre for Sixth-form Studies
Cambridge Centre for Sixth-form Studies
Cambridge Centre for Sixth-form Studies is an independent sixth form college located on Station Road off Hills Road in central Cambridge, England.The college offers GCSE and GCE courses...
, after having been expelled from Eton for possession of cannabis
Cannabis
Cannabis is a genus of flowering plants that includes three putative species, Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis. These three taxa are indigenous to Central Asia, and South Asia. Cannabis has long been used for fibre , for seed and seed oils, for medicinal purposes, and as a...
.
Life and career
Goldsmith traveled with the International Honors Program, affiliated with his uncle, Edward GoldsmithEdward Goldsmith
Edward René David Goldsmith , widely known as Teddy Goldsmith, was an Anglo-French environmentalist, writer and philosopher....
, through New Zealand, Mexico, Hungary, Italy and Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
. Goldsmith lived in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
for two years, working first for an organisation called Redefining Progress from 1995 to 1996 and later as a researcher for Norberg-Hodge's International Society for Ecology and Culture
International Society for Ecology and Culture
The International Society for Ecology and Culture is a non-profit organization whose purpose is to raise awareness about what it identifies as the root causes of contemporary social, environmental and economic crises....
(ISEC) during 1996-98. While working with ISEC, Goldsmith travelled to India. He spent a short time on an ashram
Ashram
Traditionally, an ashram is a spiritual hermitage. Additionally, today the term ashram often denotes a locus of Indian cultural activity such as yoga, music study or religious instruction, the moral equivalent of a studio or dojo....
in Rajasthan
Rajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
and lived in Ladakh
Ladakh
Ladakh is a region of Jammu and Kashmir, the northernmost state of the Republic of India. It lies between the Kunlun mountain range in the north and the main Great Himalayas to the south, inhabited by people of Indo-Aryan and Tibetan descent...
for six months, studying traditional cultures and helping run a tourist education programme. After his father's death in 1997, Zac reportedly inherited between £200 and £300 million from his father's reported £1.2 billion fortune (1997).
Writing and journalism
In 1997, Goldsmith was appointed reviews editor of The Ecologist, by his uncle Edward Goldsmith, founding editor, owner and publisher of the magazine. In 1998, he became editor-in-chief and director of The Ecologist, but did not draw a salary. He relaunched the magazine on 28 March 2000 in a new format. He transformed the academic journal style of the publication into a current affairs magazine format to broaden its appeal, and trebled its circulation. In January 2006, after indicating his interest in electoral politics, he announced he was stepping down as editor.Goldsmith speaks and writes about environmental causes in Britain, which includes debating twice at the Oxford Union
Oxford Union
The Oxford Union Society, commonly referred to simply as the Oxford Union, is a debating society in the city of Oxford, Britain, whose membership is drawn primarily but not exclusively from the University of Oxford...
and delivering keynote addresses. He has written for UK newspapers including the Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
, Evening Standard, Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
, and the Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
. He is also a contributor to magazines such as the New Statesman
New Statesman
New Statesman is a British centre-left political and cultural magazine published weekly in London. Founded in 1913, and connected with leading members of the Fabian Society, the magazine reached a circulation peak in the late 1960s....
and Quintessentially Magazine.
He is a contributing author of the book We Are One: A Celebration of Tribal Peoples, published in late 2009. The book explores the culture of peoples around the world, portraying both its diversity and the threats it faces. Among other contributors are several western writers, such as Laurens van der Post
Laurens van der Post
Sir Laurens Jan van der Post, CBE was a 20th century Afrikaner author of many books, farmer, war hero, political adviser to British heads of government, close friend of Prince Charles, godfather of Prince William, educator, journalist, humanitarian, philosopher, explorer, and...
, Noam Chomsky
Noam Chomsky
Avram Noam Chomsky is an American linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, and activist. He is an Institute Professor and Professor in the Department of Linguistics & Philosophy at MIT, where he has worked for over 50 years. Chomsky has been described as the "father of modern linguistics" and...
, Claude Lévi-Strauss
Claude Lévi-Strauss
Claude Lévi-Strauss was a French anthropologist and ethnologist, and has been called, along with James George Frazer, the "father of modern anthropology"....
, and also indigenous peoples, such as Davi Kopenawa Yanomami
Davi Kopenawa Yanomami
Davi Kopenawa Yanomami, name also written Davi Kobenawä Yanomamö is a shaman and Portuguese-speaking spokesperson of the Yanomami Indians in Brazil...
and Roy Sesana
Roy Sesana
Roy Sesana is a Bushman activist who works together with the First People of the Kalahari for the rights of his tribe.-Biography:Sesana lives in New Xade in the central Kalahari and works as a traditional medicine man...
. 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 talks about how his travel through 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 these people and, in reverence to it, urges people in the modern world to question what "progress" can really mean. The royalties from the sale of this book go to the indigenous rights organisation, Survival International
Survival International
Survival International is a human rights organisation formed in 1969 that campaigns for the rights of indigenous tribal peoples and uncontacted peoples, seeking to help them to determine their own future. Their campaigns generally focus on tribal peoples' fight to keep their ancestral lands,...
.
He is also the author of The Constant Economy, which outlines his political principles and concrete policies that Britain could implement for a sustainable economy.
Quality of Life Policy Group
In December 2005, David Cameron appointed Goldsmith as the deputy chairman, under former environment secretary John GummerJohn Gummer
John Selwyn Gummer, Baron Deben, PC is a British Conservative Party politician, formerly Member of Parliament for Suffolk Coastal, now a member of the House of Lords. He is Chairman of the environmental consultancy company Sancroft International and Chairman of Veolia Water...
, of a Quality of Life Policy Group. The commission was entrusted with the responsibility of examining quality-of-life issues such as carbon emissions and climate change
Climate change
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
, clean air and transport, and to offer policy ideas based on the review. The group's 600-page report, co-authored by Goldsmith and Gummer, was published at the Royal Institute of British Architects on 13 September 2007.
The report's 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 homes; and a moratorium on airport expansions.
The report drew criticism from the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
, along with MEP
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
Roger Helmer
Roger Helmer
Roger Helmer is a British politician and a Conservative Party Member of the European Parliament for the East Midlands region. He has described himself as a eurosceptic and is a supporter of the Better Off Out campaign. He was first elected to the European Parliament in 1999 as a Conservative Party...
who termed the proposals "anti-Conservative", and MP David Wilshire (now retired), whose constituency included Heathrow, and who favoured construction of a third runway, contrary to the official Conservative Party position. The proposals also drew opposition from the aviation industry. Cameron commended the report, pledging to include many of its recommendations in the party's manifesto.
Election to Parliament
In 2010, Goldsmith was the ConservativeConservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
parliamentary candidate for the constituency of Richmond Park
Richmond Park (UK Parliament constituency)
Richmond Park is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-History and character:...
. 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 an interest in environmental issues and being a Conservative. Around the same time, he commented in an interview on his backing of the Conservative party, arguing the Labour Party has become a party shaped by big business and big lobby groups interests and is too authoritarian and centrist. In May 2006, he was one of the prospective parliamentary candidate
Prospective parliamentary candidate
Prospective parliamentary candidate is a term used in British politics to refer to candidates selected by political parties to fight individual constituencies in advance of a general election. This terminology was motivated by the strict limits on the amount of expenses incurred by an actual...
s featured on David Cameron's 'A-List'.
His family has a long history in politics. Goldsmith's grandfathers were both Conservative Members of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
: Frank Goldsmith
Frank Goldsmith
Francis Benedict Hyam Goldsmith was a British Conservative Party politician who served as a Member of Parliament from 1910 to 1918...
was a Conservative MP while Viscount Castlereagh (later the 8th Lord Londonderry), his mother's father, was Unionist MP for County Down
County Down
-Cities:*Belfast *Newry -Large towns:*Dundonald*Newtownards*Bangor-Medium towns:...
in the British House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
. His maternal great-grandfather, the 7th Lord Londonderry, was a well-known Ulster Unionist politician. Another maternal ancestor is Viscount Castlereagh
Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh
Robert Stewart, 2nd Marquess of Londonderry, KG, GCH, PC, PC , usually known as Lord CastlereaghThe name Castlereagh derives from the baronies of Castlereagh and Ards, in which the manors of Newtownards and Comber were located...
, who was Chief Secretary for Ireland
Chief Secretary for Ireland
The Chief Secretary for Ireland was a key political office in the British administration in Ireland. Nominally subordinate to the Lord Lieutenant, from the late 18th century until the end of British rule he was effectively the government minister with responsibility for governing Ireland; usually...
and, later, British Foreign Secretary
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, commonly referred to as the Foreign Secretary, is a senior member of Her Majesty's Government heading the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and regarded as one of the Great Offices of State...
. Before 2005, Goldsmith supported and was involved in the campaigns of Michael Gove
Michael Gove
Michael Andrew Gove, MP is a British politician, who currently serves as the Secretary of State for Education and as the Conservative Party Member of Parliament for the Surrey Heath constituency. He is also a published author and former journalist.Born in Edinburgh, Gove was raised in Aberdeen...
MP and Joanne Cash.
On 16 March 2007, Goldsmith won an open primary, conducted by the Richmond Park Conservative Association, to become the Conservative challenger for incumbent Susan Kramer
Susan Kramer
Susan Veronica Kramer, Baroness Kramer is a British Liberal Democrat politician. She was Member of Parliament for Richmond Park from 2005 to 2010, having been an unsuccessful candidate in the London mayoral election in 2000....
's parliamentary seat. He had originally planned to stand in East Hampshire
East Hampshire (UK Parliament constituency)
East Hampshire is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
, a safe Conservative seat, but he changed his mind. "I just didn't know East Hampshire... I would have had to get worked up about issues that I didn't care about. The whole thing was so artificial. I wrote to them telling them I couldn't do it", he later explained.
In 2008, Goldsmith was involved in a breach of electoral rules when he made a donation of £7,000 to his party while not on the electoral register. Responding to the issue, Goldsmith explained, "[E]verything has been declared on time and accurately; however, for a few weeks last year I was not on the electoral roll, as I had removed myself from Kensington and Chelsea and was in the process of signing up in Richmond. Whatever was donated in that time may have to be repaid, but there is no suggestion that it was anything other than an oversight."
In late 2009, it was published in the press that Goldsmith had non-domiciled status and that the London resident, as a discretionary beneficiary, has use of British properties through the trust set up by his late father. Goldsmith responded, in a statement about the suggestions of tax avoidance, that he has "always chosen to be tax resident in the UK" and virtually all his income comes to the UK, where he has always paid full tax on it, adding that he is subject to capital gains tax on the two properties owned by the trust. A recipient 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, and before being approached by any newspapers.
Election expense allegations
Channel 4 NewsChannel 4 News
Channel 4 News is the news division of British television broadcaster Channel 4. It is produced by ITN, and has been in operation since the broadcaster's launch in 1982.-Channel 4 News:...
raised questions over Goldsmith's declared expenses at the 2010 election, arguing "our findings do suggest that Zac Goldsmith has questions to answer about whether his spending has complied with both the letter and the spirit of the law." Goldsmith denied any wrongdoing and accused Channel 4 News of sleazy unethical journalism. The Bureau of Investigative Journalism complained to the Electoral Commission
Electoral Commission (United Kingdom)
The Electoral Commission is an independent body set up by the UK Parliament. It regulates party and election finance and sets standards for well-run elections...
over Goldsmith's expenses.
On 15 July 2010, Goldsmith appeared on Channel 4 News to answer questions over his election expenses. Goldsmith spent the first six minutes arguing about the details of when and how he had been asked to appear. Jon Snow
Jon Snow
Jon Snow is an English journalist and presenter, currently employed by ITN. He is best known for presenting Channel 4 News.He was Chancellor of Oxford Brookes University from 2001 to 2008.-Early life:...
said Goldsmith gave a "travesty of the truth" on that matter and that he was "prevaricating" and running them out of time. The interview was live. Goldsmith accused Snow of being a "charlatan
Charlatan
A charlatan is a person practicing quackery or some similar confidence trick in order to obtain money, fame or other advantages via some form of pretense or deception....
". Snow suggested Goldsmith take the matter to OFCOM
Ofcom
Ofcom is the government-approved regulatory authority for the broadcasting and telecommunications industries in the United Kingdom. Ofcom was initially established by the Office of Communications Act 2002. It received its full authority from the Communications Act 2003...
. Goldsmith did so but his complaint was rejected.
Snow had two questions about the expenses. The first was about signs. "You expended £2800 on 600 signs but £262 is what you said you spent when you told the Electoral Commission on your return". The response was "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
Conservative Campaign Headquarters
Conservative Campaign Headquarters , formerly known as Conservative Central Office is the headquarters of the British Conservative Party, housing its central staff and committee members....
". Snow said they were investigating 30 MPs and in terms of scale, Goldsmith's expenses far outstripped the others. The claim was reduced because the signs had been allocated to the local election budget. 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. The 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 £2168 but you only said you paid (spent) £170". The response was that the stickers cost £170 and the jackets had not been customized for the Zac Goldsmith campaign. "They are off the shelf. Look at them", Goldsmith responded further, adding that were generic jackets and will be used in other election campaigns in the future.
Channel 4 News presented their case online, including scans of the spending documents. Goldsmith has posted a response on his blog. The interview itself became a news item.
On 21 July 2010, the Electoral Commission announced that, following their initial 5-day assessment, they have decided to upgrade the investigation to the status of "case under review" and that they will make enquiries "in order to establish the facts of the matter". The Commission reported in December 2010: they decided not to refer the case for criminal investigation and that there was no intentional rule-breaking, but they did rule that the cost-sharing between general election and local elections contests was "not consistent with the Commission's guidance or good practice", that the submission was "unclear in places" and the Goldsmith's campaign may have overspent by £966 in the short campaign.
Political positions
An enthusiastic advocate of direct democracyDirect democracy
Direct democracy is a form of government in which people vote on policy initiatives directly, as opposed to a representative democracy in which people vote for representatives who then vote on policy initiatives. Direct democracy is classically termed "pure democracy"...
, such as Switzerland's model of using referendums, Goldsmith believes it would help combat feelings of disenfranchisement among people and increase accountability. Among his key interests is education. In an interview with fair trade
Fair trade
Fair trade is an organized social movement and market-based approach that aims to help producers in developing countries make better trading conditions and promote sustainability. The movement advocates the payment of a higher price to producers as well as higher social and environmental standards...
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."
Local Issues
On a local level Goldsmith has been involved in campaigns within his constituency of Richmond ParkRichmond Park (UK Parliament constituency)
Richmond Park is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-History and character:...
, in matters such as schools, hospitals and recreation areas.
In 2007, he opposed the opening of a superstore by supermarket chain Sainsbury's in Barnes. He spearheaded a referendum conducted by the Electoral Reform Society
Electoral Reform Society
The Electoral Reform Society is a political pressure group based in the United Kingdom which promotes electoral reform. It is believed to be the oldest organisation concerned with electoral systems in the world.-Aims:...
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 with a revised planning application.
The government department with ultimate responsibility for the Royal Parks, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is a department of the United Kingdom government, with responsibility for culture and sport in England, and some aspects of the media throughout the whole UK, such as broadcasting and internet....
), is looking 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. Goldsmith organised a "mass rally" in the Royal Park on 30 January 2010 in conjunction with other local Conservatives to protest about the proposed charging. More than 1,000 people turned up.
Use of super-injunctions
On 23 December 2008, the political blogger Paul StainesPaul Staines
Paul Staines is an English-born Irish right-wing political blogger. Writer of the pseudonymous "Guido Fawkes' blog of parliamentary plots, rumours & conspiracy", which had as of February 2009, 118,000 visitors per month, his political blog has been described as "one of Britain's leading political...
(aka "Guido Fawkes") wrote that he had been served with a super-injunction prohibiting any mention of both itself and recent hacking into the e-mail accounts of Goldsmith, Goldsmith's then wife
Sheherazade Goldsmith
Sheherazade Bentley Goldsmith is an English environmentalist, author and socialite.During the 1990s, Goldsmith worked in the fashion industry, first as a model and then as a marketer...
, and his sister, Jemima
Jemima Khan
Jemima Marcelle Khan is a British writer and campaigner. She is associate editor of the New Statesman and European editor-at-large for Vanity Fair. She has worked as a charity fundraiser, human rights campaigner and contributing writer for British newspapers and magazines...
. The
existence of the injunction was also revealed by Wikileaks
Wikileaks
WikiLeaks is an international self-described not-for-profit organisation that publishes submissions of private, secret, and classified media from anonymous news sources, news leaks, and whistleblowers. Its website, launched in 2006 under The Sunshine Press organisation, claimed a database of more...
in a press release dated 24 December 2008.
Fundraising and awards
National Gardens Scheme
The National Gardens Scheme, was founded in 1927 in England with the aim of "opening gardens of quality, character and interest to the public for charity". Originally, the money was raised to provide pension support for district nurses; 609 private gardens were opened and £8,191 was raised.Over...
's Council of Trustees as one of four Ambassadors. He is a Patron of the Mihai Eminescu Trust, which conserves and maintains communities in Transylvania
Transylvania
Transylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
and the Maramureş
Maramures
Maramureș may refer to the following:*Maramureș, a geographical, historical, and ethno-cultural region in present-day Romania and Ukraine, that occupies the Maramureș Depression and Maramureș Mountains, a mountain range in North East Carpathians...
, and the Fortune Forum, a philanthropic organisation.
In November 2002, Goldsmith helped establish FARM, a campaigning organisation for British farmers. Goldsmith also funded the Organic Targets Bill Campaign to promote organic farming in 1999. He is a longstanding donor to the Soil Association
Soil Association
The Soil Association is a charity based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1946, it has over 27,000 members today. Its activities include campaign work on issues including opposition to intensive farming, support for local purchasing and public education on nutrition; as well the certification of...
. In 2007, he was a participant at the Soil Association Annual Conference, during which he competed in an organic fashion show on 25 January and debated on a Question Time
Question Time (TV series)
Question Time is a topical debate BBC television programme in the United Kingdom, based on Any Questions?. The show typically features politicians from at least the three major political parties as well as other public figures who answer questions put to them by the audience...
panel on 27 January.
In 2003, Goldsmith was awarded the Beacon Prize for Young Philanthropist of the Year for his contribution to environmental awareness and protection. The following year, he received the Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev is a former Soviet statesman, having served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991, and as the last head of state of the USSR, having served from 1988 until its dissolution in 1991...
-founded Green Cross International
Green Cross International
Green Cross International is an environmental organisation founded by former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in 1993, building upon the work started by the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil...
's Global Green Award for International Environmental Leadership.
Family and personal life
Goldsmith was married for ten years to Sheherazade Ventura-BentleySheherazade Goldsmith
Sheherazade Bentley Goldsmith is an English environmentalist, author and socialite.During the 1990s, Goldsmith worked in the fashion industry, first as a model and then as a marketer...
, with whom he has two daughters, Uma Romaine and Thyra, and a son, James.http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/lifestyle/article-23843345-the-green-goddess.do The couple wed on 5 June 1999, in a ceremony at St Simon Zelotes church in Knightsbridge
Knightsbridge
Knightsbridge is a road which gives its name to an exclusive district lying to the west of central London. The road runs along the south side of Hyde Park, west from Hyde Park Corner, spanning the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea...
.The Goldsmiths separated in April 2009 and received a decree nisi
Decree nisi
A decree nisi is a court order that does not have any force until such time that a particular condition is met, such as a subsequent petition to the court or the passage of a specified period of time....
on 10 May 2010. The divorce has not yet been finalized. Goldsmith is presently in a relationship with banking heiress Alice Rothschild, whose sister, Kate, is married to Goldsmith's brother Ben.http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/0aa4507c-d8f6-11e0-aff1-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1fDbxoMpS
Goldsmith is an enthusiast of poker
Poker tournament
A poker tournament is a tournament where players compete by playing poker. It can feature as few as two players playing on a single table , and as many as tens of thousands of players playing on thousands of tables...
. In 2000, he stated that he wore recycled Savile Row
Savile Row
Savile Row is a shopping street in Mayfair, central London, famous for its traditional men's bespoke tailoring. The term "bespoke" is understood to have originated in Savile Row when cloth for a suit was said to "be spoken for" by individual customers...
suits which had belonged to his late father. Sheherazade and Zac Goldsmith were featured in Vanity Fair
Vanity Fair (magazine)
Vanity Fair is a magazine of pop culture, fashion, and current affairs published by Condé Nast. The present Vanity Fair has been published since 1983 and there have been editions for four European countries as well as the U.S. edition. This revived the title which had ceased publication in 1935...
s 67th Annual International Best-Dressed List among Best-Dressed Couples.
External links
- Interview after winning his seat in 2010 at Catch21Catch21Catch21 is a charitable production company and internet based broadcaster which organises and stages shows all over the UK with the key aim of engaging young people with politics, the concept was initially devised by a group of current and former students of the University of Hull.The organisation...