Page 3 Profile: Zac Goldsmith, MP

Handsome fella

Indeed. He's also MP for Greater London's Richmond Park, and seen by many as one of the modern faces of the Tory party.

Good mates with Cameron then?

Maybe not. Yesterday the PM told business leaders he'd end "time-wasting" legal challenges to government policy. This prompted Zac to tweet derisively, referencing debate over Heathrow expansion: "So the same PM whose dithering on airports will cost 3-6 years, is now enraged by the delays affecting big infrastructure decisions?"

Seems a fair point

Perhaps, but then he added "Anyone have any idea at all where the Govt stands on Airports, Recall, EU, Energy policy, Environment? Me neither".

But doesn't he have some form for this?

Yep. Since entering the Commons in May 2010, Goldsmith has rebelled against the coalition on 37 votes. He's particularly disobedient on environmental issues.

Why's that?

He's from a famously environmentally-concerned family, as the nephew of Teddy Goldsmith, who founded The Ecologist magazine. Zac himself edited the mag for almost a decade until 2007.

Does he have any other reason to oppose Heathrow expansion?

His constituency is affected by engine noise and he does defend a slender majority. It has also been suggested that he offered Boris Johnson a free run at his parliamentary seat, which Goldsmith would resign in protest. BoJo has declined, for now at least.