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Zac Goldsmith: 5 Facts You Need To Know About Tory London Mayor Candidate

5 Of The Quirkiest Facts You'll Read Today About Mayoral-Hopeful Zac Goldsmith
Aubrey Allegretti
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Tory MP Zac Goldsmith has today been elected the Conservative candidate to succeed Boris Johnson as Mayor of London.

But the Richmond MP is not your typical, run-of-the mill suit, he has a rich life experience and plenty of quirks that will have helped him stand out from rivals vying for the nomination bid.

With 70% of the some 9,227 votes cast, Goldsmith will be a tough competitor to beat when he faces Labour's Sadiq Kahn at the ballot box next May.

We take a look at five of the most interesting things about him.

Zac Goldsmith
"I'm not going to stand as a candidate for mayor of London"(01 of05)
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Those were the immortal words uttered by Goldsmith back in 2013, speaking at a HuffPostUK Conservative party conference fringe event.

The white, male, old-Etonian originally rubbished claims about interest in joining the mayoral fray, telling a packed auditorium: "The odds of my succeeding in the mayoral contest, I think people have had enough of white male Etonians, I'm not sure my chances would be very high."

He added when pressed: "It's simply not going to happen. I'm not going to stand as a candidate for mayor of London." (credit:Johnny Green/PA Archive)
Expelled from Eton(02 of05)
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He was kicked out of Britain's top private school, Eton, when found to be in possession of cannabis aged 16.

“I was asked to leave early, do I really have to say this on radio? I broke a rule … some cannabis was found in my room,” he revealed on LBC.

“You won’t believe me, I was guilty throughout my entire time at school but on this one occasion I was innocent. But it seemed pointless at the time to put up any resistance. I learnt my lesson, I think you can say.” (credit:Ian West/PA Archive)
An invigorated Eurosceptic(03 of05)
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Goldsmith is also an outspoken critic of the current state of the EU, having previously said he wants "meaningful reform" negotiated by David Cameron but has praised his party's leader shifting stance and offering the public an in/out vote.

His father Sir James, a billionaire businessman, also founded the Referendum Party, which campaigned in the 1997 for a referendum on aspects of the UK's relationship with the European Union. (credit:PA Wire/PA Archive)
Environmental enthusiast(04 of05)
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Goldsmith has previously claimed the most pressing political issue for him in the long-term is the environment. "We are cashing in the natural world and we cannot go on doing so indefinitely," he said.

The Richmond MP was also an editor for nine years of 'The Ecologist' magazine, a publication set up by his uncle Teddy. He was appointed deputy chair of the 'Quality of Life Policy' group under Cameron and writes regularly on environmental issues. (credit:Jonathan Brady/PA Wire)
Brother of Jemima(05 of05)
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Zac is brother to heiress and journalist Jemima Goldsmith. She married Imran Khan, a Pakistani cricketer, celebrity and philanthropist who later turned to politics. (credit:Andrew Parsons/PA Archive)
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