Green party candidate for the General Election 2019

Jo Robb, councillor for Woodcote and Rotherfield Ward, has been selected by the Oxfordshire Green Party to stand for Thame and the Henley constituency in the general election on December 12, 2019.

Speaking after her selection, Jo said: “When I joined the Green Party, the climate and ecological crisis was nowhere on the news agenda. That has now changed as more and more people wake up to the scale of this global challenge. I am proud to represent the only party that puts the natural environment and human wellbeing at its very heart.

“Locally, the Government has plans for a South Oxfordshire covered in concrete and blighted by traffic and toxic air. This is music to the ears of the construction industry and big developers but ignores our natural environment and the views of local residents.”

“It’s time the people of the Henley constituency were represented by an MP who understands their concerns and will represent their interest; someone who will defend local democracy, promote truly sustainable growth and stand against the overdevelopment of our beautiful countryside.

“I will fight for affordable and sustainable housing, proper funding for our schools and NHS and a Green New Deal – ambitious national investment in public transport and sustainable energy infrastructure.

“Like the majority of the Henley constituency, I voted to remain in the EU. But since 2016, we have seen our standing MP vote to trigger Article 50 and support the illegal prorogation of Parliament. I stand very firmly for a change of approach: one that respects Henley’s original decision and demands the British people get the final say on the matter. Only a People’s Vote can break the Brexit deadlock.

“More than ever, we need candidates who stand up for their communities and for nature. Parliament needs MPs who are not beholden to vested interests and worsening climate chaos.

“A vote for me would be a vote to protect our natural environment and our communities at both the local and national level. We need strong Green voices at all levels of government.”

Originally from Sydney, Australia, Jo studied law and English at the University of New South Wales. She worked in the litigation department of a major Australian commercial law firm before moving to the UK in 2001 to become a journalist.

In May, Jo was elected to South Oxfordshire District Council to represent the Woodcote and Rotherfield Ward.  She has campaigned on climate change, fossil fuel divestment, preserving the Chilterns AONB and reforming planning law. She sits on Oxfordshire County Council’s Pension Fund Committee, on South Oxfordshire District Council’s and on the Planning Committee and on the Taxi Licensing Committee.

Jo lives in the countryside outside Henley with her husband, two sons and three grown up step-children. She enjoys swimming in the Thames with the Henley Open Water Swimming Club,  gardening and walking her whippet. She is training to swim the English Channel next year with the Henley Mermaids, in support of the Henley Music School.