Former NSC pension spokesperson Agnes Joseph is immediately switching to the BBB. The Member of Parliament is also taking her seat with her and will probably be number eight on the BBB’s list of candidates in the upcoming elections.
Joseph has been in the House of Representatives for NSC since the end of 2023 and became known mainly for her commitment to the new pension system. For example, her proposal to give people a say in the transition to the new system caused a great deal of commotion.
The Member of Parliament announced last month that she would not be eligible for re-election for NSC. Now Joseph has announced that she is switching to the BBB. She is doing this with immediate effect; she is therefore taking her seat from NSC with her.
According to Joseph, the BBB has “fought with me from day one for improvements” to the pension system, according to a statement on the BBB website. She therefore calls it “logical” to join that party.
Joseph does feel support at BBB
Joseph feels that she was not always supported at the NSC, she explains in De Telegraaf. In the debates about her much-discussed pension plan, she was directly opposed to NSC minister and current leader Eddy van Hijum. Joseph says she does find that support at the BBB.
“Now that I have been walking around in The Hague for a while, I understand that Omtzigt wanted to put good governance and the rule of law on the agenda, but for me the pension file is the most important motivation,” Joseph tells De Telegraaf. By leaving with immediate effect, the Member of Parliament can participate in the already planned pension debates on behalf of the BBB after the summer.
The press release on the BBB website also states that Joseph sees “the energy and parliamentary position to make a difference” at the party. According to recent polls, NSC is doing poorly with zero to two seats. BBB polls slightly higher with two to four seats, although Joseph, with her eighth place on the draft list of candidates, is not assured of a seat in the House.
BBB leader Caroline van der Plas responds happily to Joseph’s arrival. “She is the pension specialist in the House of Representatives. Moreover, Agnes is a sincere, authentic, honest and hardworking representative of the people.”
NSC group chairman Nicolien van Vroonhoven calls it a “dead shame” that Joseph is leaving the party. “It hurts us that she is taking her seat with her. As far as we are concerned, that really shouldn’t have happened. But of course we wish her all the best.”