Revealed: Press officer who backed Palestine Action's fight against ban is celebrity author's privately-educated daughter who wore £6,000 gown to debutante ball
But now, Georgie Robertson, the daughter of a bestselling author and a celebrity human rights barrister, is making headlines of a very different kind.
The 32-year-old former Labour aide has emerged as a backer of Palestine Action's fight against the controversial organisation being proscribed by the Government under the Terrorism Act.
The same woman who dazzled Paris society at the exclusive Crillon Ball in 2009 - an event Tatler calls 'the world's most glamorous debutante ball' - is now helping to coordinate press coverage for the radical movement whose members have been arrested for staging civil disobedience across the UK.
Georgie is the daughter of outspoken author Kathy Lette and eminent KC Geoffrey Robertson.
In her youth, she was photographed posing for Tatler and mingling with the international elite, including Lady Kitty Spencer, Clint Eastwood 's daughter, and even Indian royalty.
Writing about her experience at the Crillon Ball, Robertson once described a weekend of 'an endless flurry of hot hair rollers, make-up, trying on diamonds, couture fittings and fashion shoots.'
She called the event a 'fairytale' where 'the aristocracy rub sequinned shoulder pads with the celebritocracy.'
She added she had 'shared giggles and gossip' with fellow debutantes, including Angelica Hicks, the great-granddaughter of Lord Mountbatten.
Other glamorous outings followed. Robertson attended the Elle Style Awards and the premiere of Blue Jasmine, starring Cate Blanchett, in 2013.
Privately educated at Queen's College in central London, she later veered sharply leftwards, becoming involved in Labour politics during Jeremy Corbyn's leadership.
She even stood for the position of Women's Officer for the London Young Labour committee, pledging to 'organise against patriarchy and all other forms of oppression.'
Georgie worked in Corbyn's team when he was Leader of the Opposition and was later elected as a Labour councillor in Camden, north London.
However, following Corbyn's departure, she was caught up in a legal row with Sir Keir Starmer's Labour Party over an alleged leak of an internal antisemitism report. The case was dropped last year.
Her high-society connections remain intact with her social media showing her at the Cannes Film Festival and pictured with celebrities including Tim Minchin and Kylie Minogue.
But it is her latest role that is causing a stir.
Earlier this month, as Palestine Action fought its proscription in court, Robertson appeared to breach legal rules by posting a photograph from inside the Royal Courts of Justice.
The image, which shows Mr Justice Chamberlain presiding over the case, was captioned: 'Nearly 9 hours so far, waiting with baited breath.' Taking photos inside a courtroom is a criminal offence.
Yet just 24 hours later, she was back briefing journalists, this time on behalf of Defend Our Juries (DOJ), a new left-wing pressure group backing Palestine Action.
The campaign, which Robertson described as an 'Orwellian nightmare,' encourages civil disobedience in defiance of the Government's ban.
Her mother, Kathy Lette, once joked about her daughter's dramatic transformation, quipping that Georgie had gone 'from one extreme to the other, from Marxism to Marie Antoinette.'
The Home Office's decision to outlaw Palestine Action last Saturday has already led to a wave of arrests.
More than 70 protesters have now been detained during two weekends of coordinated demonstrations.
In London alone, 41 people were held for showing support for a proscribed group, with some carrying cardboard signs reading: 'I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action.'
At a DOJ protest in Central London last weekend, supporters once again gathered with handmade signs, despite warnings from police.
Similar events took place in Manchester and Cardiff. Greater Manchester Police arrested 16 people, while South Wales Police detained 13 protesters in Cardiff city centre.
The Met said arrests were made for breaches of the Terrorism Act, including 'supporting proscribed groups through chanting, wearing clothing or displaying articles such as flags, signs or logos.'
Despite the escalating crackdown, Palestine Action's founder Huda Ammori has called on activists to continue with 'organised civil disobedience.'
The movement shows no signs of slowing down — and with Georgie Robertson now a central figure in the public campaign, it seems the girl who once sparkled in Parisian ballrooms has found a very different kind of spotlight.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
7 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Lila Moss channels her supermodel mum Kate in a bikini top and sequin waistcoat as he heads out in Ibiza
Lila Moss channeled her famous mum Kate as she headed out in Ibiza on Wednesday. The model, 22, who previously admitted to constantly copying her outfits, wore a brown triangle bikini top with a sheer sequin waistcoat. Adding to her bohemian inspired look, she wrapped a fine knit gold sarong around her waist and wore black ballet flats. Lila topped off her outfit with a pair of sunglasses, carried a large woven beach bag and styled her hair straight. Earlier this month, she enjoyed a fun girls' trip in the town with her mum, with the duo speaking about their close relationship in the past. Lila's father is Dazed Media chief executive Jefferson Hack, with whom Kate was in a relationship in the early Noughties. The model has never been shy of stealing from her mum's wardrobe. From ballet pumps and waistcoats to biker jackets and transparent slip dresses, she has recreated almost every iconic Kate Moss look there is. 'I copy her outfits consistently,' Lila admitted in a magazine interview in 2023. '[Although] I steal mostly her bags. I can't steal her shoes, which is devastating. She's a size six. I'm a size five.' Kate and Lila have spoken candidly in the past about their unconventional relationship, with Kate telling Vogue in 2023: 'There were still rules in our house – always say please and thank you; never go out with wet hair or you'll catch a cold – even if I wasn't that strict. Now that she's 21, Lila's the one setting rules for me. 'Wear SPF50; quit smoking… Although she did give me this cigarette case as a gift recently that I just love... She's flown the nest now, and got her own place in downtown New York, but she's still so young in my mind... 'I feel like I'd already lived quite a few lives by Lila's age. I'd gone abroad. I'd had one serious boyfriend – and moved on to the next. In a lot of ways, though, Lila is so much more grown-up than I was in my 20s... 'Watching her establishing her career as a model takes me right back to the '90s when I was just starting out, but I know that things will be different for her.' 'She understands she can say no, for one thing, which I never did, and she has the right people around her – I've made sure of that. And let's face it, she's a lot more sensible than I was back then. I mean… thank God. Ha!' For last year's British Fashion Awards, she commissioned designer Nensi Dojaka to create a dress that was eerily reminiscent of her mother's infamous bias-cut Liza Bruce slip dress from 1993. While at New York Fashion Week, she stepped out in a near-identical Saint Laurent blazer and low-cut silk top Kate had worn two years before. Lila has been making moves in the fashion world and walked the runway at Paris Fashion Week for for Vivienne Westwood last year. It was a successful year for Lila after she fronted campaigns for the likes of Pepe Jeans - an international denim brand based on Portobello Road in Notting Hill - which happens to be the model's favourite hangout spot. She also starred in a campaign for the French brand Maje last year and is currently gracing the front rows of exclusive shows such as Yves Saint Laurent for Paris Fashion Week alongside her mother. After being signed to her mother's Kate Moss Agency when she was just 15, Lila became the face of Marc Jacobs Beauty in 2018. She went on to make her runway debut for the Italian fashion house Miu Miu in 2020, became an ambassador for YSL and made headlines when she walked the pink carpet for Victoria's Secret World Tour . The stunner has been hit with her fair share of nepotism accusations - the most recent being when she appeared in Edward Enninful's edition of Vogue called Legendary alongside the likes of Oprah Winfrey and Victoria Beckham. In 2021, when Lila was 19, she became the director of Grace Grove Ltd - the name of the company is a nod to The Grove, her family home in North London, which Kate sold in 2021.
The Guardian
7 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Corbyn's new party and the menace of populism
The upcoming launch of a new party by Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana (Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana agree to launch leftwing party, 24 July) will inevitably prompt questions about whether this will divide the progressive vote or offer a genuine alternative to Labour's centrist drift, especially as the Green party continues to grow as a principled voice for environmental and social justice. Although these projects are potential rivals, they need not be. If the disturbing rise of rightwing populism is to be successfully confronted, the left must overcome fragmentation and find ways to coexist and collaborate. The Corbyn-Sultana initiative and the Greens share much common ground: a rejection of austerity, commitment to democratic reform and a belief in economic and ecological justice. Their differences in emphasis, tone and priorities are real but not irreconcilable. There has to be scope for a non-aggression pact at the next general election, with each party standing aside in constituencies where the other has a better chance of success. Joint campaigning on core issues – such as proportional representation, protest rights, wealth taxes and a green new deal – could amplify their impact, and framing climate action as central to economic justice, not separate from it, could provide a unifying narrative for both. This is not about merging or blurring identities. It is about strategic and political maturity. If the left cannot cooperate when so much is at stake, it will surrender the field to those who thrive on division and fear. Unity does not require uniformity; it requires courage and purpose. The worse case, of a public war of words and clashing candidacies between the Greens and Corbynites, would demoralise voters and hand the initiative to the populist CosgroveChapel Lawn, Shropshire Your report quotes Labour party sources who are dismissive of the threat from Jeremy Corbyn and then bluntly states that Corbyn 'lost the 2017 and 2019 elections as party leader'. It would have provided a fairer context if you had pointed out that in 2017, the Corbyn-led Labour party achieved 2.5m more votes (and a 6% higher vote share) than Keir Starmer did in 2024. Even in 2019, 500,000 more people voted for Corbyn's party than Starmer's. Dr Chris MorrisKidderminster, Worcestershire In the winter election of 2019 I spent hours leafleting for Jeremy Corbyn's Labour party. The sensation of cold and wet letterboxes still lingers on my fingertips when I think of what he said in an Observer article just after the election – that Labour had lost the election but won the argument. This is all Mr Corbyn is interested in doing – winning the argument – and indeed I think he will find that is all he ever will ArmstrongChester Thank you to Jeremy Corbyn for still caring enough and having the humanity to rally the 99% to join together and put 40 years of neoliberal theft and exploitation behind us. I support all his domestic policies, but the realpolitik of foreign policy bothers me. How would he deal with Vladimir Putin and Benjamin Netanyahu?Pamela HopeKingston upon Thames, London Oh, Jeremy Corbyn, why splinter the left further by creating a new party when the Greens already actively stand and work for all you want to fight for?Sushila DhallOxford Have an opinion on anything you've read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Telegraph
7 minutes ago
- Telegraph
SNP approves giant wind farm despite backlash from Trump and RSPB
One of the world's largest offshore wind farms has been given the green light by the SNP only days after Donald Trump warned that 'ugly' turbines were destroying Scotland's beauty and seabirds. Scottish ministers gave consent to the Berwick Bank project, off the coast of East Lothian, where developers SSE Renewables want to construct up to 307 900ft-high turbines. On a windy day, the project aims to generate enough electricity to power every home in Scotland twice over and around 17pc of residences across the UK. Ed Miliband, the Energy Secretary, welcomed the decision, and the Government said enough offshore wind farms had now been approved to meet green targets. But the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) said it was a 'very dark day' for seabirds in the area, over concerns tens of thousands will be killed by the turbines. It warned that the wind farm lies close to Bass Rock, the world's largest gannet colony, and to the Isle of May, a national nature reserve that is home to a large colony of puffins, plus terns, gulls and many migratory species. The charity said that the 'terrible decision' would make it easier to get planning permission for other offshore wind farms in the area and this could 'catapult' some species 'towards extinction'. The announcement came only three days after Mr Trump used a visit to Scotland to warn that wind farms were 'destroying the beauty' of the country's fields and waterways. Calling them 'ugly monsters' that produced 'the most expensive form of energy', the US president claimed he had limited the construction of 'windmills' in the US because they ' kill all your birds.' The Scottish Government's own assessment estimated that the project will kill 261 gannets, 815 kittiwakes, 2808 guillemots, 66 puffins and 154 razorbills per year throughout the 35-year lifetime of the development. SNP ministers said their decision to approve the scheme was subject to SSE Renewables producing a detailed seabird 'compensation plan' outlining how any 'adverse impacts' would be tackled. This will have to be rubber-stamped before construction of the turbines starts. But RSPB Scotland said it was unclear how the 'compensation plan' would make up for thousands of seabirds being killed by the turbines. Anne McCall, the charity's director, said: 'This is a very dark day for seabirds. It is a terrible decision on a really bad development. 'Berwick Bank would be catastrophic for Scotland's globally important seabirds which are already facing alarming declines. 'We are incredibly concerned that [the] Scottish Government have granted consent for a project which could catapult some of Scotland's most-loved seabird species towards extinction.' Diarmid Hearns, the National Trust for Scotland's interim director of conservation and policy, said the decision was 'deeply disappointing'. 'More than that, we fear it will also be the cause of significant harm to the seabird colonies of St Abb's Head national nature reserve and elsewhere on the coastline,' he added. Kate Forbes, the Deputy First Minister, said: 'The decision to grant consent to Berwick Bank is a major step in Scotland's progress towards achieving net zero and tackling the climate crisis, as well as supporting national energy security and growing our green economy.' She added: 'We will continue to work closely with the developer and key stakeholders, including those working in fishing and conservation – to minimise the impact of the development on the marine environment and other marine users – and balance the needs of people and nature.' Mr Miliband said: 'We welcome this decision, which puts us within touching distance of our offshore wind targets to deliver clean power by 2030 – boosting our mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower. 'We need to take back control of our energy and more offshore wind getting the green light marks a huge step forward in Britain's energy security and getting bills down for good.' Mr Miliband wants between 43GW and 50GW of offshore wind by 2030, with only 16GW operational so far. The Berwick Bank project would deliver an additional 4.1 GW. That would bring the generating capacity of consented wind farms in the planning pipeline to 28GW – enough to meet Mr Miliband's target if they are all built. SSE Renewables said the project has the potential to create 9,300 direct and indirect jobs in the UK at 'peak construction', around 4,650 of which would be in Scotland. Stephen Wheeler, the firm's managing director, said: 'Berwick Bank has the potential to rapidly scale-up Scotland's operational renewable energy capacity and can accelerate the delivery of home-grown, affordable and secure clean energy to UK consumers from Scottish offshore wind, helping meet the UK's clean power ambition by 2030.' Before his first term as president, Mr Trump lost a long-running battle at Holyrood and in the courts to prevent the construction of turbines off the coast of his golf resort in Aberdeenshire. Although energy policy is decided by the UK Government, ministers at Holyrood have control over planning, including final say over which schemes get the green light.
