Boris Johnson ally quits UK government with a blast at Prime Minister Rishi Sunak

By JILL LAWLESS
Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — A British environment minister who is close to former Prime Minister Boris Johnson has quit and accused the current government of apathy toward climate issues. Zac Goldsmith said Friday that he could no longer do his job because Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is “simply uninterested” in the environment. Goldsmith is a long-time conservationist who was appointed to Parliament’s unelected House of Lords by Johnson. Goldsmith’s resignation comes the day after he was among eight allies of the former prime minister criticized by lawmakers. The Commons Privileges Committee said Goldsmith and the others tried to undermine a committee investigating whether Johnson lied to Parliament over rule-breaking government parties during the coronavirus pandemic.