‘Stupid’ to equate climate concerns with being woke, says Zac Goldsmith

Zac Goldsmith: ‘I have a terrible fear that the culture war concept that has dominated discussions of the climate in the US could dominate here [in the UK].” Photograph: David Mirzoeff/PA

Rightwing Tory MPs should stop portraying concerns over the climate and nature as “woke”, and understand that voters are deeply concerned about the crisis, the Conservative minister Zac Goldsmith has warned.

“What I’m trying to persuade people is that this stuff is not remote, it’s not trendy, it’s not woke, it’s not nice to have and it’s not a waste of UK taxpayers’ money,” he said. “This is fundamental.”