This page is dedicated to members of the Sutton and Cheam Constituency Labour Party who have passed away. It also includes some former Parliamentary Candidates who have passed away as well as some of our Greater London Council and Greater London Authority candidates and Council candidates who resided in other CLPs. This page can also be read in conjunction with our brief history of the CLP.

All of them, and many hundreds of other activists we have not written up yet, have in many different ways contributed to local campaigning for greater equality and social justice over the last century. We thank them all and acknowledge we stand on the shoulders of our own local giants.

Former Members

RIP Phil Robinson

We are very sorry to report the sad passing of our longstanding former member Phil Robinson. Our condolences to his partner Alison and the rest of his family. A full In Memoriam text will be placed here in due course. You can write a message and/or donate to St Raphael’s here.

John Evers

Parliamentary Candidate in South West Surrey in 1987. GLC candidate for Sutton & Cheam in 1977 and Croydon Central in 1981. Councillor for St Helier South Ward 1982-86. Candidate in North Cheam Ward in 1978, Worcester Park South Ward in 1990, Sutton Central Ward in 1994, Worcester Park North Ward in 1998 and Worcester Park Ward in 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2018. Member of Merton & Sutton and Kingston Trades Councils. Active in Unite and GMB unions. Son of Phil Evers who is also listed on this page. Member of the Party for 50 years. Made a substantial donation to the local Party to purchase new doors and windows for our Labour Hall, which we were very grateful to receive.

Ron Phillips

Sadly passed away just before his 99th birthday. Helped in the 1945 General Election. Stood in Sutton South ward in 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2018 – he was 93 when he fought his final election. At his passing he was also still the Chair of Sutton Downs Branch. Campaigned to save a community orchard in Hornsey Vale. Active trade unionist and member of Merton & Sutton and Southwark Trades Councils. In his professional life he was a PhD in Metallurgy and was also a lecturer at South Bank Polytechnic.

Steve Morton

CLP Secretary from 2000 to 2011. Stood as a candidate in Sutton Common ward in 1998, and Sutton North ward in 2002, 2006 and 2010. Moved to Buckinghamshire and became very active in local environmental campaigns. A short obituary is here.

Evelyn McEwen

Labour Councillor for Sutton East ward 1971-1978, and also stood there in 1982. Leader of Sutton Labour Group from 1976-1978. Was an early national campaigner for Basic Income Schemes, long before they were politically fashionable.

Ron Williams

Councillor for Sutton North East ward from 1971-74. Stood in Sutton East ward 1968, Sutton North East ward 1964, 1971, 1974, North Cheam ward 1982, Sutton East ward 1998 and Sutton West ward in 1978, 1986, 1990, 1994, 2002, 2006 and 2010. In his professional life he was an aircraft engineer.

Pauline Brennan

Labour Councillor for Sutton North East ward 1971-1974 and St Helier South ward 1978-1982. Leader of the Sutton Labour Group 1978-82. Stood in Belmont ward 1964, 1968, Sutton North East ward 1971, 1974 and St Helier South ward in 1978. She also served as a local Magistrate.

Jack Goossens

A founder member of Sutton and Cheam Labour. Also helped found Sutton United in the same Pub 20 years earlier and became Club President. He also helped set up Sutton and District Trades and Labour Council (one of the predecessors of Merton & Sutton Trade Union Council) and was a founder of Sutton Dolphins Swimming Club and Sutton & District Football League. Was the first Labour Councillor on Sutton Urban District Council in 1919 and served until 1953. He was Chair of the Council, then Chair of the Highways and Works Committee and also served as Mayor of the Borough of Sutton and Cheam in 1938-39 and 1940-41. He has a road in Sutton named after him: Goossens Close, with a memorial stone at its centre. Lived to a 101. A short biography is here.

Humberto Inostroza

Was a political refugee from Chile and was in the political security team of murdered President Allende. Was imprisoned by the Pinochet regime in 1973. Later moved to the UK. Sadly died of Covid at the start of the Pandemic not long after being elected our Disability Officer.

Phil Bassett

Labour Councillor for St Helier West ward from 1956 to 1968 and St Helier South ward from 1968 to 1986. Leader of the Sutton Labour Group from 1968-1976. Also was a GLC Councillor from 1973-1977 for Carshalton and Wallington and stood for the Sutton Borough GLC seat in 1964, 1967 and 1970. Contested Sutton and Cheam GLC seat in 1981. Also stood in Beddington South ward in 1986, 1990, Sutton South ward 1998 and Belmont ward in 2002.

Inge Trott

Inge Trott, arrived in Britain in December 1938 as Inge Kompfner, a young Jewish refugee from Nazi-controlled Austria. In the 1950s, she worked as a laboratory assistant at King’s College London, working with Professor Maurice Wilkins, who would later share a Nobel prize with Francis Crick and James Watson. She was active in the Campaign for the Advancement of State Education (CASE), the rights of Palestinians and Sutton for Peace and Justice group. A longer obituary in the national Guardian newspaper is here. written by the eminent international law specialist and lawyer Phillipe Sands in whose book East West Street her life story appeared. She was also interviewed by the Guardian here in 2010.

Phil Evers

Served on the National Executive of the telecoms union POEU (a predecessor of the CWU union). He served on the Greater London Labour Regional Executive as a POEU representative as well as Industrial Tribunals. He was also a local Magistrate. He stood in Worcester Park North ward in 1974, 1978 and 1982. His son John Evers also served as a Sutton Councillor and is also listed on this page.

David Jones

A long-standing activist who often provided legal advice to the local Party. He wrote a book of short stories, Suburban Voices (2001) and one of them even featured a meeting on our local Labour Party as a backdrop. He stood in Worcester Park North ward in 1990 and 1994. His daughter Candida is a current political activist and was a Councillor on Wandsworth Council from 2014 to 2019. An obituary in the national Guardian newspaper is here.

Helen Judd

Mother of Frank Judd. Stood for Labour in the 1945 General Election and narrowly missed it. She ran again in 1950. Served on Surrey County Council from 1946-49. Also a Sutton Councillor for Cheam North ward 1964-1968. She also served as a local Magistrate.

Frank Judd

Son of Helen Judd. Parliamentary Candidate in 1959. Contested Portsmouth West in 1964 and became MP for the seat in 1966. From 1974 he was MP for Portsmouth North and held it until 1979. Was Minister for Overseas Development in the Wilson/Callaghan Government’s. After losing his seat he became Director of VSO and Oxfam and was made a life peer.  A full biography is here.

Betty Vernon

Councillor for St Helier South ward from 1968-1978. Also stood in Sutton North East ward in 1964. Active in the Fabian Society and wrote a biography of Ellen Wilkinson and edited a Fabian pamphlet on Margaret Cole (here). She also served as a local Magistrate.

Joan Jarman

Partner of David Jarman. Stood in Nonsuch ward in 2002. Active in the World Disarmament Campaign.

David Jarman

Partner of Joan Jarman. Stood in Belmont ward 1964, 1971, Cheam South ward 1968, 1974, 1978, 1982, 1990, 1994, 1998 and Cheam ward in 2002 and 2006. Active in the World Disarmament Campaign.

Julie Markan

Partner of Harry Markan. Stood in Carshalton Central ward in 1968. Along with Harry was a political refugee from Germany after the war having survived the Holocaust. More background here.

Harry Markan

Partner of Julie Markan. Councillor for Carshalton North East ward 1964-1968 and 1971-1978. Stood in the ward 1964, 1968, 1971, 1974 and successor ward Wrythe Green ward in 1978. Along with Julie was a political refugee from Germany after the war having survived the Holocaust. More background here.

Donald Hopkins

Councillor for Sutton East ward 1974,-1978 and St Helier North ward 1986-95. Also stood in Sutton East ward in 1982.

June Guiness

Partner of Geoffrey Guiness. Was a senior BBC researcher and was the Research Assistant for the famous 1960’s TV series Civilisation by Kenneth Clark. An example episode is here and she appears in the closing credits as June Leech. Stood in Sutton South ward (as June Leech) in 1968. Active fundraiser and social organiser for Sutton and Cheam Labour Party. Her foresight in collecting old party records enabled her CLP to produce a full local history here.

Geoffrey Guiness

Partner of June Guiness. Councillor for Sutton East ward 1971-1974. Also stood in Worcester Park North ward in 1978.

David Fleming

Active in Unison trade union. Stood in Worcester Park South ward 1982, Sutton South ward 1990, Sutton Central ward 1994, Rosehill ward 1998 and Stonecot ward in 2002.

Bill Lang

Local Stonecot ward member. Stood in Stonecot ward in 2006, 2010 and 2014.

Cyril Salmon

Local member in Worcester Park. Helped with repairs to the Labour Hall in the 2000s. Stood in Nonsuch ward in 2002 and 2006.

Ron Hayward

Lived in Sutton and Cheam for a number of years. Starting as a secretary and agent in Banbury from 1945 he became London Labour assistant regional organiser in 1950. In 1959 he became organiser for the Southern region Labour Party. He served in this role until 1969, when he became a National Agent. In 1972, he narrowly defeated Gwyn Morgan to become General Secretary of the Labour Party and served in that role until 1982. A biography is here.

May Jackson

Stood in Sutton South Ward in 1971, Sutton East Ward in 1978 and Cheam West Ward in 1982. CLP Secretary in the late 1970’s.

Eric Marshall

Councillor for Sutton Central ward 1965-1968 and 1971-74. Also stood in Worcester Park North ward 1964, Sutton Central ward in 1968, 1971, 1974, and Belmont ward in 1982.

Charles (Jock) Harkin

Very active in NALGO trade union (now Unison). Stood in Belmont ward in 1974 and Sutton South ward in 1978.

Sid Barton

Was a Councillor of the old Sutton & Cheam Borough Council. Later became a Sutton Council Alderman. Later stood in Sutton Central ward in 1968. Chair of the CLP in the 1960’s and early 1970’s

Bob Jenkins

Councillor for Sutton Central ward 1964-1968. Previously a Sutton & Cheam Borough Councillor. Mayor of the Borough of Sutton and Cheam in 1958/59.

Jim Rhodes

Councillor for Sutton Central ward 1971,-1974. Stood as Labour Parliamentary Candidate in February and October 1974. Also served as CLP Secretary and Treasurer at various times.

Len Storey

Councillor for Sutton Central ward 1964-1968.

John Dowsett

Councillor for Cheam North ward 1964-1968. Parliamentary Candidate in 1970.

Former Parliamentary Candidates

This includes the Epsom constituency we were part of from 1918 to 1945 and the current Sutton and Cheam constituency since 1945.

James Chuter Ede

Our first Labour Parliamentary candidate standing in the 1918 General Election – one of only 361 Labour candidates in a Parliament of 707 seats. James Chuter Ede later wins the Mitcham by-election in 1923 (includes Carshalton and Wallington constituency) and later becomes an MP in the North East of England. He later serves as the Home Secretary in the 1945-51 Attlee Labour Government. A biography is here.

Somerville Hastings

Our Parliamentary candidate in 1922, He was MP for Reading, in Berkshire, from 1923 to 1924 and from 1929 to 1931. He was MP for Barking from 1945 to 1959 general election. He was founder President of the Socialist Medical Association (SMA) 1930–51, now known as Labour affiliate the Socialist Health Association. In 1932 he successfully proposed a resolution at the Labour Party Conference that was agreed and which led to a Party Committee that he sat on producing a report endorsed by 1934 Party Conference that the Party should be committed to the establishment of a State Health Service. A biography is here and some of his writings on health issues are here.

John Langdon-Davies

Our Parliamentary candidate in 1923. A British author and journalist. He was a war correspondent during the Spanish Civil War and the Soviet-Finnish War. As a result of his experiences in Spain, he founded the Foster Parents’ Scheme for refugee children in Spain, which is now the aid organisation Plan International. A biography is here.

Helen Mary Keynes

Our first woman parliamentary candidate standing in the 1928 Epsom by-election. She was a novelist writing at least 3 books as well as a political activist serving on the Executive of the Fabian Society and was Secretary of the Society of Labour Candidates, which helped candidates network and share ideas. A biography is here.

Stanley Morgan

Our parliamentary candidate in 1929, 1931 and 1935. He was a trade union activist working for the the National Asylum Workers’ Union (NAWU) and the Poor Law Workers’ Trade Union which later merged into the union COHSE which later became part of modern day Unison. A biography is here.

Eric Hurst

Our parliamentary candidate in 1951 and at Battersea South at the 1955 general election. He also served as a London County Councillor  from 1952-1961. He was a Barrister and the business partner to his own partner Margery Hurst who was the founder of the Brook Street Bureau recruitment agency. A short biography is here.

Ronald M Lewis

Our parliamentary candidate in 1955. He also fought Wembley North in 1959.

Paul Derrick

Our parliamentary Candidate in 1964. He was the author of a number of publications including Fabian Pamphlet “The Company in the Community” co-author of the book “Co-ownership, Co-operation and Control” and author of “A Co-operative Approach to Socialism”

Nancy Irwin

Our Parliamentary Candidate in 1979. She was active in the South Suburban Co-op and their political committee and is referred to in the Party archive here.

Former Greater London Council & Greater London Authority Candidates

Herbert Ferguson

Stood for the Sutton Borough GLC seat in 1964 and 1970. He was an alderman on the Greater London Council from 1964 – 1970 and was Chairman of the Greater London Council for 1966-1967. A short biography is here.

Maggie Mansell

Stood for the Croydon and Sutton GLA seat in 2000. Served as a Croydon Councillor for many years. An obituary is here. In 2023 a memorial garden dedicated to her memory was opened in the Norbury Ward of Croydon Council which she represented for many years.

Samantha Heath

Stood as a GLA list candidate in 2000 and was elected which Sutton Labour voters contributed their votes to. Previously a Wandsworth Councillor and later involved, some as Chief Executive, in a number of important Environment and Sustainability voluntary groups and commissions. A fuller biography is here.

Former Sutton Council Candidates

Pat Imrie

A member of Carshalton & Wallington CLP who was both CLP Chair and also stood in Sutton and Cheam for Sutton South Ward in 1982, Worcester Park South Ward in 1986 and Clockhouse Ward in Carshalton & Wallington in 1990. He was also a published author of Surrey countryside walks.

Phyllis Goodall

A member of Carshalton and Wallington Labour Party. Active in Sutton Co-op Party. Her husband Edgar was also a Sutton Councillor. She stood in Worcester Park South Ward in 1971.

John Bloom

A member of Carshalton and Wallington Labour Party. Former Chair of the South Suburban Co-operative Society Political Committee. Stood in Worcester Park South Ward in 1971 and Rosehill Ward in 1990 as well as Carshalton Beeches Ward in Carshalton and Wallington in 1986

Former Local Party Staff

Fanny Lines

In the late 1960’s and early 1970’s Fanny Lines – later a Surrey County Councillor – acted as our paid Organiser and Membership Secretary at a time when all subscriptions are collected and it is administered as a paper operated local system not the online systems we have today. She also stood in Cheam South Ward in 1968.