Robert Courts

{{Short description|British politician and barrister (born 1978)}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Robert Courts

| image = Official portrait of Robert Courts MP crop 2.jpg

| honorific-prefix =

| honorific-suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|KC}}

| office = Solicitor General for England and Wales

| primeminister = Rishi Sunak

| term_start = 7 December 2023

| term_end = 5 July 2024

| predecessor = Michael Tomlinson

| successor = Sarah Sackman

| office1 = Chair of the Defence Select Committee

| predecessor1 = Tobias Ellwood

| successor1 = Jeremy Quin

| term_start1 = 25 October 2023

| term_end1 = 12 December 2023

| office2 = Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport

| primeminister2 = Boris Johnson

| term_start2 = 8 September 2020

| term_end2 = 6 September 2022

| predecessor2 = Kelly Tolhurst

| successor2 = Anne-Marie Trevelyan{{efn|The junior role for shipping and aviation was assumed directly by the Secretary of State for Transport.}}

| office3 = Member of Parliament
for Witney

| predecessor3 = David Cameron

| term_start3 = 20 October 2016

| term_end3 = 30 May 2024

| successor3 = Charlie Maynard

| party = Conservative

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1978|10|21}}{{cite web|title=MyParliament - Biography for Robert Courts|url=http://myparliament.info/Member/4589|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170930205610/http://myparliament.info/member/4589|url-status=usurped|archive-date=30 September 2017|website=My Parliament}}

| birth_place = Stockport, Greater Manchester, England{{cite web|url=http://search.findmypast.co.uk/results/united-kingdom-records-in-birth-marriage-death-and-parish-records/and_births-and-baptisms?firstname=robert&firstname_variants=true&lastname=courts&yearofbirth=1978&yearofbirth_offset=5|title=Search Results - Birth, Marriage, Death - findmypast.co.uk|website=search.findmypast.co.uk}}

| death_date =

| death_place =

| alma_mater = University of Sheffield

| residence = Bladon, Oxfordshire, England

| website = {{URL|robertcourts.co.uk}}

| caption = Official portrait, 2019

| spouse = Kathryn

| children = 2

}}

Robert Alexander Courts {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|KC}} (born 21 October 1978) is a British Conservative politician and barrister who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Witney from 2016 to 2024. He served as Solicitor General for England and Wales from December 2023 to 2024. He previously served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport in the Johnson government from 2020 to 2022 and served as Chair of the Defence Select Committee from October to December 2023.

Courts was elected for Witney at a by-election in 2016, succeeding former Prime Minister David Cameron, but was defeated in the 2024 general election.

Early life and career

Robert Courts was born on 21 October 1978 in Stockport. His father Ian Courts is a solicitor, company director, and the Conservative leader of Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council.{{cite web |title=Register of interests: Councillor Ian Courts |url=https://eservices.solihull.gov.uk/mgInternet/mgDeclarationSubmission.aspx?UID=124&HID=671&FID=0&HPID=508759542 |website=Solihull.gov.uk}} His mother, Sheila, is a school governor.{{cite news |title=Visit by Cllr Ian and Mrs Sheila Courts |url=https://troopaid.info/visit-by-cllr-ian-and-mrs-sheila-courts/ |access-date=19 June 2021 |work=TroopAid |date=20 July 2017}}

Courts was privately educated at Berkhamsted School, where he was head of Fry's House, before studying law at the University of Sheffield.{{cite web |url=https://www1.dehavilland.co.uk/insight-blog-uk/whither-witney-election-everyones-watching|title=Whither Witney? The by-election everyone's watching |website=www1.dehavilland.co.uk |date=23 September 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170824013309/https://www1.dehavilland.co.uk/insight-blog-uk/whither-witney-election-everyones-watching |archive-date=24 August 2017}}

He was called to the Bar at Lincoln's Inn in 2003 and practises as a barrister at 3PB Chambers principally in the fields of personal injury/clinical negligence and public and regulatory law.{{cite web|url=http://www.3pb.co.uk/profile/robert-courts|title=Robert Courts – 3 Paper Buildings Barristers' Chambers|website=www.3pb.co.uk|access-date=11 October 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161012081000/http://www.3pb.co.uk/profile/robert-courts|archive-date=12 October 2016}} He worked in Wellington, New Zealand, at the Crown Law Office (Legal Advisors) for the New Zealand Government in 2009.

Courts stood as a Council candidate in Solihull in 2002 but was unsuccessful. Courts was elected a Conservative member of West Oxfordshire District Council in 2014.

Courts supported the 'Leave' campaign in the 2016 Brexit referendum.{{cite news |last1=Elgot |first1=Jessica |date=11 October 2016 |title=Witney byelection: hard Brexit may be key issue in Cameron's former constituency |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/oct/11/witney-byelection-hard-brexit-may-be-key-issue-in-camerons-former-constituency |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161012192815/https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/oct/11/witney-byelection-hard-brexit-may-be-key-issue-in-camerons-former-constituency |archive-date=12 October 2016 |access-date=13 October 2016 |work=The Guardian}}

Parliamentary career

He was selected as the Conservative Party candidate in the 2016 Witney by-election.{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/sep/22/robert-courts-chosen-tory-candidate-david-cameron-constituency|title=Robert Courts chosen as Tory candidate for David Cameron's constituency|date=22 September 2016|work=The Guardian|author=Press Association|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077|access-date=11 October 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161012083048/https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/sep/22/robert-courts-chosen-tory-candidate-david-cameron-constituency|archive-date=12 October 2016}} At the election, Courts was elected as MP for Witney with 45% of the vote and a majority of 5,702.{{Cite web |date=20 October 2016 |title=AS IT HAPPENED: Conservative Robert Courts elected as Witney's new MP |url=https://www.witneygazette.co.uk/news/14815246.as-it-happened-witney-by-election-count-and-results/ |website=Witney Gazette}}

He is a member of the European Research Group, having subscribed in April 2017.{{cite web|url=http://www.theipsa.org.uk/mp-costs/your-mp/robert-courts/|title=Robert Courts - IPSA|website=IPSA|language=en|access-date=24 October 2018}}

At the snap 2017 general election, Courts was re-elected as MP for Witney with an increased vote share of 55.5% and an increased majority of 21,241.{{Cite news |date=22 April 2017 |title=Parties race against time to choose candidates |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-39658426 |work=BBC News}}percentage change compared to previous General Election in 2015

He was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in January 2018,{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/list-of-parliamentary-private-secretaries-pps-january-2018 |title=List of Parliamentary Private Secretaries (PPS): January 2018|work=GOV.UK}} but resigned as a PPS on 15 July 2018, in protest of the White Paper on Exiting the European Union and the Chequers Agreement.{{cite news|url=https://news.sky.com/story/may-suffers-yet-another-resignation-as-robert-courts-quits-over-her-brexit-plan-11438048 |title=May suffers yet another resignation as Robert Courts quits over her Brexit plan |work=Sky News |date=15 July 2018}}{{cite news|author=Mikhailova, Anna |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2018/07/15/theresa-may-faces-eighth-resignation-brexit-plans-nine-days/ |title=Theresa May hit by her eighth resignation over Brexit plans in nine days, as ministerial aide quits |work=The Telegraph |date=15 July 2018}}{{cite news|author=Sabbagh, Dan |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/jul/15/theresa-may-faces-rebellion-from-brexit-hardliners-in-customs-bill-vote |title=Theresa May faces rebellion from Brexit hardliners in customs bill vote |work=The Guardian |date=15 July 2018}}

Courts' main Parliamentary interests are defence and foreign policy. He is credited by the House of Commons library with helping to lead the "parliamentary pressure" that led to the announcement of the Ministry of Defence's Combat Air Strategy, the programme for the eventual replacement of the Eurofighter Typhoon.{{Cite journal|last=Brooke-Holland|first=Louisa|date=2018-05-15|title=Prospects for combat air: What follows Typhoon and Lightning?|url=https://researchbriefings.parliament.uk/ResearchBriefing/Summary/CBP-8304 | website=UK Parliament }} Courts represents RAF Brize Norton, the largest RAF base in the UK, and serves as the vice chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Armed Forces. He is a council member of the Air League.{{Cite web|url=https://www.airleague.co.uk/key-people/|title=Key People – The Air League|work=airleague.co.uk|date=8 November 2021 }}

In October 2018, the Parliamentary commissioner for standards found Courts had breached rules by using official stationery in campaign updates.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-45724090 | title=Robert Courts MP repays £3k for House of Commons 'stationery misuse' |work=BBC News |date=2 October 2018 |access-date=10 February 2022}}

In August 2019, Courts was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary to the secretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs, Theresa Villiers. Regarding parliamentary procedure, Courts has been an outspoken critic of Early Day Motions (EDMs), describing them as "parliamentary graffiti". Courts has said that EDMs are generally tabled by MPs on behalf of "lobbyists or groups keen to show themselves as doing something", that they are "politically impotent" and a waste of taxpayers' money.{{Cite web|url=https://www.robertcourts.co.uk/early-day-motions|title=Early Day Motions|website=Robert Courts|language=en|access-date=2019-08-21}}

At the 2019 general election, Courts was again re-elected, with a decreased vote share of 55.2% and a decreased majority of 15,177.{{cite news |title=Witney Parliamentary constituency |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/constituencies/E14001046 |access-date=27 November 2019 |website=BBC News |publisher=BBC}}

Courts was a supporter of the proposed free trade deal with Australia and New Zealand, describing it as a "no-brainer".{{Cite web |title=The Telegraph: Free Trade with our Aussie and Kiwi Allies is a No-brainer |url=https://www.robertcourts.co.uk/news/telegraph-free-trade-our-aussie-and-kiwi-allies-no-brainer |access-date=2021-06-12 |website=Robert Courts MP |date=18 June 2020 |language=en}}

In 2024, Courts criticized the construction of a larger solar farm in Botley West.{{Cite web |date=2024-03-11 |title=Net zero meets the NIMBYs: Inside the battle for the UK’s biggest solar farm |url=https://www.politico.eu/article/net-zero-climate-change-nimbys-uk-solar-energy/ |website=POLITICO |language=en-GB}}

After nearly eight years in office, Courts lost his seat at the 2024 general election to the Liberal Democrat candidate Charlie Maynard,{{Cite web |date=2024-07-05 |title=Conservatives lose David Cameron's ex-seat as Lib Dems win in Witney |url=https://www.witneygazette.co.uk/news/24432539.shock-win-lib-dems-win-witney-general-election/ |access-date=2024-07-06 |website=Witney Gazette |language=en}} becoming the first Conservative candidate to lose in the Witney constituency since its inception in 1983.{{Cite web |date=2024-07-05 |title=Conservatives seats wiped out in Oxfordshire |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c03lzdxx0gpo |access-date=2024-07-06 |website=BBC News |language=en-GB}}His share of the vote decreased to 32.6%.{{Cite news |title=Witney - General election results 2024 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election/2024/uk/constituencies/E14001591 |access-date=2025-02-19 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}

=Under-Secretary of State for Transport=

File:UK Shipping Annual Dinner 2022.jpg in London]]

Courts was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport on 8 September 2020.{{Cite web|title=Robert Courts MP|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/people/robert-courts|access-date=2022-02-10|website=GOV.UK|language=en}} His responsibilities include aviation and maritime affairs. In February 2022, he gave the keynote speech at the UK Chamber of Shipping annual dinner, urging for investment in sustainable shipping and a review to gather information related to shore power in ports.{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/green-shipping-boost-as-maritime-minister-announces-plans-to-explore-shore-power| title=Green shipping boost as Maritime Minister announces plans to explore shore power |website=GOV.UK|access-date=10 February 2022}}{{cite web|url=https://www.energylivenews.com/2022/02/09/green-shipping-uk-plans-to-explore-shore-power-in-ports/ | title=Green shipping: UK plans to explore shore power in ports | date=9 February 2022 |publisher=Energy Live News |access-date=10 February 2022}} Courts is a supporter of High Speed 2 (HS2).{{Cite web|title=Robert Courts compared to 'HS2 - In Favour'|url=https://www.publicwhip.org.uk/mp.php?mpid=42012&dmp=6753|access-date=2021-06-13|website=www.publicwhip.org.uk}}

In June 2022, Courts was held partly accountable for the aviation travel crisis in UK airports.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2022/jun/04/minister-was-warned-staff-crisis-would-lead-to-inevitable-travel-chaos-says-aviation-union | title=Minister was warned staff crisis would lead to 'inevitable' travel chaos, says aviation union |work=The Guardian |access-date=6 June 2022}} However, he was subsequently involved in significant discussions with Grant Shapps and senior aviation leaders to discuss the crisis.{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/transport-secretary-meets-with-aviation-industry-following-disruption-at-uk-airports | title=Transport Secretary meets with aviation industry following disruption at UK airports |publisher=GOV.UK |access-date=6 June 2022}}{{cite web|url=https://www.itij.com/latest/news/transport-secretary-meets-aviation-industry-following-disruption-uk-airports | title=Transport Secretary meets with aviation industry following disruption at UK airports |publisher=ITIJ |access-date=6 June 2022}}

Courts left the front bench when Liz Truss became prime minister. The new transport secretary, Anne-Marie Trevelyan, took direct responsibility for the shipping brief.{{cite web|url=https://lloydslist.maritimeintelligence.informa.com/LL1142304/UK-transport-secretary-Trevelyan-takes-on-shipping-brief | title=UK transport secretary Trevelyan takes on shipping brief |publisher=Lloyd’s List |access-date=22 September 2022}}

=Solicitor General=

After returning to the backbenches, Courts was elected chair of the Defence Select Committee on 25 October 2022. However he returned to government on 7 December 2023 as Solicitor General for England and Wales, receiving the courtesy appointment as King's Counsel, on 24 January 2024, as is customary for barrister MPs appointed to government legal offices.{{Cite news |title=Crown Office |url=https://www.thegazette.co.uk/notice/4538036 |website=www.thegazette.co.uk}}

Personal life

Courts is married to Kathryn; they have two young children, and live in the village of Bladon, Oxfordshire.{{Cite web|url=https://www.robertcourts.co.uk/about-robert-courts|title=About Robert Courts|website=Robert Courts MP}}

He has been a member of the Churchill Centre for many years, and reviews books about Winston Churchill in the quarterly journal, Finest Hour.{{Cite web|url=https://winstonchurchill.org/publications/finest-hour/finest-hour-180/books-arts-curiosities-european-unity/|title=Books, Arts, & Curiosities - European Unity - Finest Hour|date=2018-08-08|website=The International Churchill Society|access-date=2019-08-21}}

Notes

References

External links

[http://www.robertcourts.co.uk/ Robert Courts official website]
[https://archivesearch.lib.cam.ac.uk/repositories/9/archival_objects/461369 Robert Courts MP Maiden Speech, 2016]
{{UK MP links |parliament=robert-courts/4589 |publicwhip=Robert_Courts |theywork=robert_courts}}