Billot was a founding member of the NewLabour Party, which was set up in 1989 by Jim Anderton.[8] In 1991, NewLabour was one of four parties to form the Alliance political party.
At the party's 2006 conference, held in Wellington, no co-leaders were elected. Instead the party decided to concentrate on internal reorganisation; Billot was elected president. At the 2007 national conference, held in Dunedin, two co-leaders were elected, Billot and Kay Murray, with Paul Piesse returning to his former role as Party President. Billot was co-leader for one year.[13]
He stepped down from his role as spokesman and occasional co-leader of the Alliance Party in March 2014.[15] He continued to engage in left wing activism in Dunedin, campaigning against cuts to postal services in 2015.[16]
Billot was the national communications officer for the Maritime Union of New Zealand (MUNZ) between 2003 and 2016.[18] In January 2017 he began working as publicist for the Otago University Press.[19] By January 2022 Billot had returned to his previous role at MUNZ.[20]
From 2020 to 2025 he wrote a weekly poetry column for Newsroom.[21]
