Zac Goldsmith

"Every man today is afraid he's firing blanks; it's becoming very much harder for humans to reproduce. According to Danish research, we now have the sperm count of a hamster."

"[On disorder and untidiness of his office at The Ecologist] This place is like a Swiss watch compared to my house - at least until Sheherazade moved in."

"I think whatever I was doing I would be pretty fanatical, but I find it hard to imagine how you can't be fanatical about these issues. We're facing extinction . . . and I can be driven to an unbelievable, uncontrollable anger by what's happening today."

"In 10 years' time, I might be an eco terrorist. But I'll take the most effective path, whatever that is."

"[On Tony Blair, then Labour prime minister] Wouldn't trust him with my dog. Wouldn't trust him with my budgerigar."

"[On William Hague, then Conservative party leader] I'd have to drug myself before I voted for him. Get drunk beforehand. And then wash myself afterwards."

"If the magazine collapsed, if the world was going to self-destruct, I would just sink my hands into the mud and live like a pig. Not in a negative sense [...] I mean, I love pigs."

"I used to be obsessed by David Attenborough as a boy. He was my hero, and it was his work that made me fall in love with the natural world. At the same time I was exposed to information - through The Ecologist, actually, which in those days was rather boring - that told me how that natural world was under siege more than at any other time in its history. I used to sit in school learning about how to use a calculator and so on, but learning nothing about the threat to the ground beneath our feet. Why was no one screaming and yelling about it?"

"I am very, very cynical, and have never had much affection for politicians [...] But I am a punter, and a punter does not punt unless he has a chance of winning. I am not politically ambitious, and I do not need a career in this world [...] But I am genuinely excited by the opportunity that David Cameron has opened up. It's a punt. But I am not going to put myself in a position where I betray the things I believe in."

"I can't be bought. I don't need to be bought. I'm not a careerist. I don't need to have a career in politics. I'm in a very, very luxurious position, but I am in a position of strength. I think I have been selected by Cameron, within the context of that understanding."

"There are all kinds of problems with the European Union but nevertheless these things are possible. How can putting a tax on aviation fuel and going through that negotiation process be any harder? It's clearly not harder than establishing a European Union."

"I was brought up by my father to identify very strongly as Jewish. But the truth is, that beyond my name, which is a fairly strong Jewish name, 'Zacharias Goldsmith' changed from 'Goldschmidts' – I cannot claim to be all that Jewish. But if you type in my name on Twitter, you will find that I am at the very heart of the Jewish conspiracy. [They say] I have this amazing control over the press – which should make my mayoral contest very easy; and that my family have completely infiltrated the royal family."

"I have been horrified as, bit by bit, we have abandoned these commitments - domestically and on the world stage. ... More worrying, the UK has visibly stepped off the world stage and withdrawn our leadership on climate and nature. Too often we are simply absent from key international fora. Only last week you seemingly chose to attend the party of a media baron rather than attend a critically important environment summit in Paris that ordinarily the UK would have co-led."

"Prime Minister, having been able to get so much done previously, I have struggled even to hold the line in recent months.The problem is not that the government is hostile to the environment, it is that you, our Prime Minister, are simply uninterested. That signal, or lack of it, has trickled down through Whitehall and caused a kind of paralysis. I will never understand how, with all the knowledge we now have about our fundamental reliance on the natural world and the speed with which we are destroying it, anyone can be uninterested. But even if this existential challenge leaves you personally unmoved, there is a world of people who do care very much. And you will need their votes. ... And as these issues inevitably grow in importance, so too will the gap between the British people and a Conservative Party that fails to respond appropriately."

"[In response to Sunak's letter accepting his resignation] I am happy to apologise for publicly sharing my views on the Privileges Committee. I firmly believe our parliamentary democracy can only be strengthened by robust scrutiny, and parliamentarians should of course be free to be critical of its reports and proceedings. But as a minister I shouldn't have commented publicly. No 10 asked me to acknowledge that, and made clear that there was no question of my being 'sacked' if I did so. I was - and am - happy to do so. My decision to step down has been a long time coming."

"[On the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) policy in London] You can make the case that it’s a clumsy policy, that it’s going to affect people who can least afford it. There are all kinds of arguments made about that and lots of policies relating to the environment and climate change. [...] The job of governments and politicians is to find the solutions that are going to be the least painful, most effective, and if that requires you to rethink individual policies then go for it. But what I think is not negotiable, is the overarching challenge that we face."