Preceded by David Cameron Political party Conservative Party Conservative Party | Majority 5,702 (14.8%) Website Official website | |
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Robert Alexander Courts (born 1978) is a British politician and barrister. He has served as the Member of Parliament for Witney since winning the 2016 by-election.
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Early career
Courts was schooled at Berkhamsted School, before reading law at the University of Sheffield. Courts was called to the Bar at Lincoln's Inn in 2003 and practises as a barrister at 3PB Chambers. He was elected a Conservative member of West Oxfordshire District Council in 2014.
Courts worked in Wellington, New Zealand, at the Crown Law Office (Legal Advisors) for the New Zealand Government in 2009.
Political career
He was selected as the Conservative Party candidate to replace David Cameron as Member of Parliament in the Witney by-election, 2016. Courts retained the seat for the Conservatives, but with a greatly reduced majority (of 5702, down from 25,155 when David Cameron last contested the seat). Though Witney in the EU referendum on 23 June 2016, voted in favour of remain, Courts supported the successful 'Leave' campaign.
On 20 October 2016, Courts won the by-election to fill Cameron's Parliamentary seat in Witney. He was then sworn in on 24 October.