Robert Courts

British politician and barrister (born 1978)

Robert Courts

Official portrait, 2019

Solicitor General for England and Wales
In office
7 December 2023 – 5 July 2024
Prime Minister| Rishi Sunak
Preceded by| Michael Tomlinson
Succeeded by| Sarah Sackman
Chair of the Defence Select Committee
In office
25 October 2023 – 12 December 2023
Preceded by| Tobias Ellwood
Succeeded by| Jeremy Quin
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport
In office
8 September 2020 – 6 September 2022
Prime Minister| Boris Johnson
Preceded by| Kelly Tolhurst
Succeeded by| Anne-Marie Trevelyan[a]
Member of Parliament
for Witney
In office
20 October 2016 – 30 May 2024
Preceded by| David Cameron
Succeeded by| Charlie Maynard
Personal details
Born|  (1978-10-21) 21 October 1978 (age 46)[1]
Stockport, Greater Manchester, England[2]
Political party| Conservative
Spouse| Kathryn
Children| 2
Residence(s)| Bladon, Oxfordshire, England
Alma mater| University of Sheffield
Website| robertcourts.co.uk

Robert Alexander Courts 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

[edit]

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.[3] His mother, Sheila, is a school governor.[3][4]

Courts was privately educated at Berkhamsted School, where he was head of Fry's House, before studying law at the University of Sheffield.[5]

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.[6] He worked in Wellington, New Zealand, at the Crown Law Office (Legal Advisors) for the New Zealand Government in 2009.[6]

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.[7]

Courts supported the 'Leave' campaign in the 2016 Brexit referendum.[8]

## Parliamentary career

[edit]

He was selected as the Conservative Party candidate in the 2016 Witney by-election.[7] At the election, Courts was elected as MP for Witney with 45% of the vote and a majority of 5,702.[9]

He is a member of the European Research Group, having subscribed in April 2017.[10]

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.[11][12]

He was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in January 2018,[13] but resigned as a PPS on 15 July 2018, in protest of the White Paper on Exiting the European Union and the Chequers Agreement.[14][15][16]

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.[17] 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.[18]

In October 2018, the Parliamentary commissioner for standards found Courts had breached rules by using official stationery in campaign updates.[19]

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.[20]

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.[21]

Courts was a supporter of the proposed free trade deal with Australia and New Zealand, describing it as a "no-brainer".[22]

In 2024, Courts criticized the construction of a larger solar farm in Botley West.[23]

After nearly eight years in office, Courts lost his seat at the 2024 general election to the Liberal Democrat candidate Charlie Maynard,[24] becoming the first Conservative candidate to lose in the Witney constituency since its inception in 1983.[25]His share of the vote decreased to 32.6%.[26]

### Under-Secretary of State for Transport

[edit]

Courts speaking at the UK Chamber of Shipping Annual Dinner in 2022 at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London

Courts was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport on 8 September 2020.[27] His responsibilities include aviation and maritime affairs.[27] 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.[28][29] Courts is a supporter of High Speed 2 (HS2).[30]

In June 2022, Courts was held partly accountable for the aviation travel crisis in UK airports.[31] However, he was subsequently involved in significant discussions with Grant Shapps and senior aviation leaders to discuss the crisis.[32][33][31]

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.[34]

### Solicitor General

[edit]

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.[35]

## Post-parliamentary career

[edit]

Following his defeat at the 2024 general election, Courts co-founded the public affairs consultancy Ascalane Partners, and also currently serves as its Director.[36]

## Personal life

[edit]

Courts is married to Kathryn; they have two young children, and live in the village of Bladon, Oxfordshire.[37]

He has been a member of the Churchill Centre for many years, and reviews books about Winston Churchill in the quarterly journal, Finest Hour.[38]

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ The junior role for shipping and aviation was assumed directly by the Secretary of State for Transport.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "MyParliament - Biography for Robert Courts". My Parliament. Archived from the original on 30 September 2017.
2. ^ "Search Results - Birth, Marriage, Death - findmypast.co.uk". search.findmypast.co.uk.
3. ^ a b "Register of interests: Councillor Ian Courts". Solihull.gov.uk.
4. ^ "Visit by Cllr Ian and Mrs Sheila Courts". TroopAid. 20 July 2017. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
5. ^ "Whither Witney? The by-election everyone's watching". www1.dehavilland.co.uk. 23 September 2016. Archived from the original on 24 August 2017.
6. ^ a b "Robert Courts – 3 Paper Buildings Barristers' Chambers". www.3pb.co.uk. Archived from the original on 12 October 2016. Retrieved 11 October 2016.
7. ^ a b Press Association (22 September 2016). "Robert Courts chosen as Tory candidate for David Cameron's constituency". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 12 October 2016. Retrieved 11 October 2016.
8. ^ Elgot, Jessica (11 October 2016). "Witney byelection: hard Brexit may be key issue in Cameron's former constituency". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 12 October 2016. Retrieved 13 October 2016.
9. ^ "AS IT HAPPENED: Conservative Robert Courts elected as Witney's new MP". Witney Gazette. 20 October 2016.
10. ^ "Robert Courts - IPSA". IPSA. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
11. ^ "Parties race against time to choose candidates". BBC News. 22 April 2017.
12. ^ percentage change compared to previous General Election in 2015
13. ^ "List of Parliamentary Private Secretaries (PPS): January 2018". GOV.UK.
14. ^ "May suffers yet another resignation as Robert Courts quits over her Brexit plan". Sky News. 15 July 2018.
15. ^ Mikhailova, Anna (15 July 2018). "Theresa May hit by her eighth resignation over Brexit plans in nine days, as ministerial aide quits". The Telegraph.
16. ^ Sabbagh, Dan (15 July 2018). "Theresa May faces rebellion from Brexit hardliners in customs bill vote". The Guardian.
17. ^ Brooke-Holland, Louisa (15 May 2018). "Prospects for combat air: What follows Typhoon and Lightning?". UK Parliament.
18. ^ "Key People – The Air League". airleague.co.uk. 8 November 2021.
19. ^ "Robert Courts MP repays £3k for House of Commons 'stationery misuse'". BBC News. 2 October 2018. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
20. ^ "Early Day Motions". Robert Courts. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
21. ^ "Witney Parliamentary constituency". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
22. ^ "The Telegraph: Free Trade with our Aussie and Kiwi Allies is a No-brainer". Robert Courts MP. 18 June 2020. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
23. ^ "Net zero meets the NIMBYs: Inside the battle for the UK's biggest solar farm". POLITICO. 11 March 2024.
24. ^ "Conservatives lose David Cameron's ex-seat as Lib Dems win in Witney". Witney Gazette. 5 July 2024. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
25. ^ "Conservatives seats wiped out in Oxfordshire". BBC News. 5 July 2024. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
26. ^ "Witney - General election results 2024". BBC News. Retrieved 19 February 2025.
27. ^ a b "Robert Courts MP". GOV.UK. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
28. ^ "Green shipping boost as Maritime Minister announces plans to explore shore power". GOV.UK. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
29. ^ "Green shipping: UK plans to explore shore power in ports". Energy Live News. 9 February 2022. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
30. ^ "Robert Courts compared to 'HS2 - In Favour'". www.publicwhip.org.uk. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
31. ^ a b "Minister was warned staff crisis would lead to 'inevitable' travel chaos, says aviation union". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
32. ^ "Transport Secretary meets with aviation industry following disruption at UK airports". GOV.UK. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
33. ^ "Transport Secretary meets with aviation industry following disruption at UK airports". ITIJ. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
34. ^ "UK transport secretary Trevelyan takes on shipping brief". Lloyd’s List. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
35. ^ "Crown Office". www.thegazette.co.uk.
36. ^ Crowther, Zoe (6 July 2025). "One Year After The General Election: Where Are Former MPs Now?". PoliticsHome. Retrieved 28 July 2025.
37. ^ "About Robert Courts". Robert Courts MP.
38. ^ "Books, Arts, & Curiosities - European Unity - Finest Hour". The International Churchill Society. 8 August 2018. Retrieved 21 August 2019.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Robert Courts.

* Robert Courts official website
* Robert Courts MP Maiden Speech, 2016
*   * Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
* Contributions in Parliament at Hansard
* Voting record at Public Whip
* Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou

Parliament of the United Kingdom

Preceded by

David Cameron

|  Member of Parliament
for Witney
2016–2024  | Succeeded by

Charlie Maynard

Political offices
Preceded by

Kelly Tolhurst

|  Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport
2020–2022  | Succeeded by

Anne-Marie Trevelyan

Legal offices
Preceded by

Michael Tomlinson

|  Solicitor General for England and Wales
2023–2024  | Succeeded by

Sarah Sackman

Authority control databases: People |

* UK Parliament

|