MP Agnes Joseph ditches NSC for coalition partner BBB
NSC parliamentarian Agnes Joseph is transferring to the BBB effective immediately, and she is taking her parliamentary seat with her, the BBB announced on Thursday. That brings the BBB to eight seats in parliament, and the NSC down to 19.
Joseph had previously announced that she would not continue as an NSC parliamentarian after the elections on October 29.
As an NSC parliamentarian, Joseph is mostly known for criticizing the new pension system. She proposed letting pension participants decide for themselves whether they want to transfer their accrued pension to the new system or stick with the old one. The proposal received considerable criticism, including from the Council of State, because it would mean maintaining two pension systems. It was narrowly rejected by parliament in May.
Joseph told the Telegraaf that she decided to move to the BBB because she felt “insufficiently supported” by the NSC. NSC Minister Eddy van Hijum (Social Affairs) was among the critics of Joseph’s proposal, while the BBB supported it. As a BBB parliamentarian, Joseph intends to continue fighting “for a more affluent pension, more autonomy for participants, and the maintenance of a solid state pension.”
The MP decided to make the switch during the summer recess and shortly before the elections because she doesn’t want to participate “half-heartedly’ in the pension debates in September. “That’s why I’m clearly and honestly choosing BBB now.”
BBB leader Caroline van der Plas is delighted that Joseph decided to join the party, calling her parliament’s pension specialist. “Agnes is a sincere, authentic, upright, and hardworking representative. She is therefore an excellent fit for BBB and a tremendous asset to us.”
NSC leader Nicolien van Vroonhoven called Joseph’s departure “a crying shame” and said it “pained” her that the MP was taking her seat with her. “As far as we’re concerned, it really shouldn’t have happened,” the NSC leader said on X, but she also wished Joseph “all the best.”
Whether the move will get Joseph a seat in parliament after the October elections remains to be seen. She is eighth on the BBB’s provisional list. In the latest EenVandaag poll, the BBB stands at two seats in parliament. The NSC is down to one.
