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| Zac Goldsmith: anti-runway campaign failed to take off in pro-EU seat Zac Goldsmith: anti-runway campaign failed to take off in pro-EU seat | |
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| As falls from political grace go, it has been one of the fastest. At the last general election, Zac Goldsmith was re-elected in Richmond Park with a massive 23,000 majority; since then the Old Etonian has lost the London mayoral election and his seat in south-west London after forcing a byelection in the wake of the government’s decision to build a third runway at Heathrow. | As falls from political grace go, it has been one of the fastest. At the last general election, Zac Goldsmith was re-elected in Richmond Park with a massive 23,000 majority; since then the Old Etonian has lost the London mayoral election and his seat in south-west London after forcing a byelection in the wake of the government’s decision to build a third runway at Heathrow. |
| He had hoped that the contest – in which he stood as an independent – would be a referendum on runway expansion; it ended up being a rerun of the referendum on EU membership in an affluent constituency in which 72% had voted for remain. | He had hoped that the contest – in which he stood as an independent – would be a referendum on runway expansion; it ended up being a rerun of the referendum on EU membership in an affluent constituency in which 72% had voted for remain. |
| But if the hazards of a byelection could have been foreseen, Goldsmith himself thought he had little choice because he had promised to force a byelection if Heathrow expansion was announced. | But if the hazards of a byelection could have been foreseen, Goldsmith himself thought he had little choice because he had promised to force a byelection if Heathrow expansion was announced. |
| At the beginning of the campaign, Goldsmith struck a principled tone: “I promised you if my party won the [2015 general] election, the third runway would be scrapped. And I wasn’t making it up.” | At the beginning of the campaign, Goldsmith struck a principled tone: “I promised you if my party won the [2015 general] election, the third runway would be scrapped. And I wasn’t making it up.” |
| “There was no small print, no expiry date, no ambiguity. It was a simple promise. And it mattered. I know it mattered, because the thought of Heathrow expansion fills most of my constituents with dread.” | “There was no small print, no expiry date, no ambiguity. It was a simple promise. And it mattered. I know it mattered, because the thought of Heathrow expansion fills most of my constituents with dread.” |
| But while Goldsmith could dictate the terms of his resignation, it proved harder to control the issues on which the battle for Richmond Park was fought. | But while Goldsmith could dictate the terms of his resignation, it proved harder to control the issues on which the battle for Richmond Park was fought. |
| Before the government’s decision had even been made, teams of primed Lib Dem activists were ready to spring out of the blocks. From the tiny converted shed that served as the party’s constituency HQ, reams of the party’s literature urged Richmond Park’s well-heeled voters not to accept the contest on Goldsmith’s premise. | Before the government’s decision had even been made, teams of primed Lib Dem activists were ready to spring out of the blocks. From the tiny converted shed that served as the party’s constituency HQ, reams of the party’s literature urged Richmond Park’s well-heeled voters not to accept the contest on Goldsmith’s premise. |
| What the Lib Dems succeeded in doing was chip away at Goldsmith’s long-cultivated, and much-cherished, image as an independent Conservative who could not be controlled by the party machine. Goldsmith may have been anti-Heathrow but he was also anti-EU – a scion of a billionaire family well known for its anti-Brussels politics. | What the Lib Dems succeeded in doing was chip away at Goldsmith’s long-cultivated, and much-cherished, image as an independent Conservative who could not be controlled by the party machine. Goldsmith may have been anti-Heathrow but he was also anti-EU – a scion of a billionaire family well known for its anti-Brussels politics. |
| Back in July 2015, a ConservativeHome article touting Goldsmith for London mayor declared “Zac Goldsmith is an outsider”, adding that his general election victory that saw him take 58% of the vote had “dispelled any remaining suspicions that he was a mere dilettante: a rich man attracted to self-indulgent green fads who thought it would be amusing to belong to the House of Commons”. | Back in July 2015, a ConservativeHome article touting Goldsmith for London mayor declared “Zac Goldsmith is an outsider”, adding that his general election victory that saw him take 58% of the vote had “dispelled any remaining suspicions that he was a mere dilettante: a rich man attracted to self-indulgent green fads who thought it would be amusing to belong to the House of Commons”. |
| Born Frank Zacharias Robin Goldsmith, the former MP is the middle child of billionaire industrialist Sir James Goldsmith and Lady Annabel Vane-Tempest-Stewart. That start in life saw him inherit a vast fortune estimated to be in the region of £200m. It was that wealth, argued his supporters, that enabled Goldsmith to become the environmental conscience of the party. | Born Frank Zacharias Robin Goldsmith, the former MP is the middle child of billionaire industrialist Sir James Goldsmith and Lady Annabel Vane-Tempest-Stewart. That start in life saw him inherit a vast fortune estimated to be in the region of £200m. It was that wealth, argued his supporters, that enabled Goldsmith to become the environmental conscience of the party. |
| With his good looks, easy charm and unshakable confidence, Goldsmith became the best-known face of the campaign against Heathrow’s expansion. | With his good looks, easy charm and unshakable confidence, Goldsmith became the best-known face of the campaign against Heathrow’s expansion. |
| But his reputation as a principled politician whose wealth let him rise above the dirty game of politics took a battering during the London mayoral contest. After becoming the Conservative candidate with 70% of the vote last year, Goldsmith ran a controversial campaign against Labour’s Sadiq Khan. | But his reputation as a principled politician whose wealth let him rise above the dirty game of politics took a battering during the London mayoral contest. After becoming the Conservative candidate with 70% of the vote last year, Goldsmith ran a controversial campaign against Labour’s Sadiq Khan. |
| Goldsmith attacked Khan, a British Muslim, attempting to link him with alleged Islamist extremists with whom he had shared a platform while working as a human rights lawyer. | Goldsmith attacked Khan, a British Muslim, attempting to link him with alleged Islamist extremists with whom he had shared a platform while working as a human rights lawyer. |
| Outraged critics accused Goldsmith of dog-whistle politics aimed at suggesting London was not safe in the hands of a Muslim mayor. Senior Tory figures, including the leader of Muslim Conservatives and former Foreign Office minister Sayeeda Warsi, condemned the campaign. Even Goldsmith’s sister Jemima Khan reflected that it was “sad that Zac’s campaign did not reflect who I know him to be – an eco-friendly, independent-minded politician with integrity”. | Outraged critics accused Goldsmith of dog-whistle politics aimed at suggesting London was not safe in the hands of a Muslim mayor. Senior Tory figures, including the leader of Muslim Conservatives and former Foreign Office minister Sayeeda Warsi, condemned the campaign. Even Goldsmith’s sister Jemima Khan reflected that it was “sad that Zac’s campaign did not reflect who I know him to be – an eco-friendly, independent-minded politician with integrity”. |
| Sad that Zac's campaign did not reflect who I know him to be- an eco friendly, independent- minded politician with integrity. | Sad that Zac's campaign did not reflect who I know him to be- an eco friendly, independent- minded politician with integrity. |
| It was a mistake the Lib Dems used to beat Goldsmith with throughout their well-organised, full-throttle campaign. The Lib Dem leader, Tim Farron, took the gloves off, calling Goldsmith’s campaign “unspeakable” and “appallingly racist”. The battle – which Goldsmith ultimately lost, seeing Khan become London’s first Muslim mayor – had, as one Lib Dem activist put it, “knocked a bit of the gilt off the gingerbread”. | It was a mistake the Lib Dems used to beat Goldsmith with throughout their well-organised, full-throttle campaign. The Lib Dem leader, Tim Farron, took the gloves off, calling Goldsmith’s campaign “unspeakable” and “appallingly racist”. The battle – which Goldsmith ultimately lost, seeing Khan become London’s first Muslim mayor – had, as one Lib Dem activist put it, “knocked a bit of the gilt off the gingerbread”. |
| Looking to shake off the hangover of the mayoral battle, Goldsmith came back again and again to his record on Heathrow throughout the Richmond Park byelection campaign. “This byelection is happening for one reason only: it is our chance to speak as one – to send a message via the ballot box both to Heathrow and the government,” he argued. | Looking to shake off the hangover of the mayoral battle, Goldsmith came back again and again to his record on Heathrow throughout the Richmond Park byelection campaign. “This byelection is happening for one reason only: it is our chance to speak as one – to send a message via the ballot box both to Heathrow and the government,” he argued. |
| It was not enough, as his 1,872 vote defeat to Sarah Olney showed. But the loss of his parliamentary seat is unlikely to be the end of the political road. In the early hours of Friday morning following his defeat, he told friends that the battle was not over and he would continue to campaign for issues close to his heart. He has also not ruled out rejoining the Conservative party, which showed its loyalty to the millionaire by not contesting the seat. | It was not enough, as his 1,872 vote defeat to Sarah Olney showed. But the loss of his parliamentary seat is unlikely to be the end of the political road. In the early hours of Friday morning following his defeat, he told friends that the battle was not over and he would continue to campaign for issues close to his heart. He has also not ruled out rejoining the Conservative party, which showed its loyalty to the millionaire by not contesting the seat. |
| But Olney, the former accountant who only went into politics a year ago because she was sick of shouting at the television, convinced voters to think beyond the borders of their constituency. “The people of Richmond Park and North Kingston have Britain’s future in their hands,” she said. “A victory for the Liberal Democrats here could kill off hard Brexit.” Unfortunately for the Euro-sceptic Goldsmith, voters found that a more compelling aspiration. | But Olney, the former accountant who only went into politics a year ago because she was sick of shouting at the television, convinced voters to think beyond the borders of their constituency. “The people of Richmond Park and North Kingston have Britain’s future in their hands,” she said. “A victory for the Liberal Democrats here could kill off hard Brexit.” Unfortunately for the Euro-sceptic Goldsmith, voters found that a more compelling aspiration. |