Dear Nigel Farage,

We haven’t met, but I have a great idea for you. I head the Zoological Society of London. We’re a conservation charity, not party political but dedicated to protecting wildlife. You might approve – we’re a venerable national institution, 200 years old next year and still proud of our royal connections (though so is the RNLI, and you’ve gone off them).

Anyway, here’s the idea: go big on nature. Make protecting Britain’s natural heritage one of your things. Outflank the government on bats and badgers. Become Swampy in red trousers. It makes sense in all sorts of ways.

What could be more conservative than protecting the landscapes and wildlife that define our identity?

Politics first: nature is popular. Millions of voters are members of the National Trust, the RSPB and

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