Eric Deakins

Eric Petro Deakins (born 7 October 1932), is a British Labour Party politician.

Deakins was educated at Tottenham Grammar School and London School of Economics and became a commercial executive. He served as a councillor on Tottenham Borough Council 1958-61 and 1962-63.

Deakins was unsuccessful in his first three attempts to be elected a Member of Parliament (MP), including in Finchley in 1959 against future Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, and Chigwell in 1966. However he was later elected MP for Walthamstow West in 1970, reversing his by-election loss to the Conservatives of that seat in 1967.

His maiden speech was made on 16 July 1970. Speaking in favour of the second reading of the Misuse Of Drugs Bill, he raised a series of reservations: "It attacks socially unacceptable drugs but does nothing about socially acceptable drugs."

After boundary changes in 1974, the constituency was renamed Walthamstow, which he continued to represent.

During the Labour government of 1974-1979, Deakins was a junior minister for Trade (1974–1976) and the DHSS (1976–1979). He represented Walthamstow until 1987, leaving Parliament at the general election, gaining 34% of the vote compared to his Conservative candidate Hugo Summerson, who polled 39%. His defeat was against the national trend but followed a massive rates rise by the Labour council of Waltham Forest.

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