Robert has a degree in Business Economics and Finance and has worked in the IT, retail, travel, civil engineering, construction and insurance sectors in both the UK and Ireland. He was a member of UKIP from 2010 to 2016 and held several party roles in Scotland including MEP assistant, branch officer and a 2015 General Election candidate. Robert joined the SDP in 2016 and became Party Secretary in the same year with the aim of re-establishing the party as a major force in British politics.