Robert Evans (London politician)

Robert John Emlyn Evans
Evans in Pakistan
Member of the European Parliament for London London North West (1994–1999)
In office 9 June 1994 – 10 June 2009
Preceded by	Lord Bethell
Succeeded by	Position abolished
Personal details
Born	(1956-10-23) 23 October 1956 (age 61) Ashford, Middlesex, United Kingdom
Political party	Labour
Occupation	Politician

Robert John Emlyn Evans (born 23 October 1956 in Ashford, then in Middlesex, now in Surrey) was a Member of the European Parliament for the Labour and Co-operative Parties, representing London from 1994–2009. He was originally elected to the European Parliament for London North West in 1994, having previously stood unsuccessfully in 1989. In November 2012 he was Labour candidate for Police and Crime Commissioner in Surrey. On 2 May 2013 he was elected Surrey County Councillor for Stanwell and Stanwell Moor. . He was re-elected to this seat in May 2017 with an 11% increase in his vote on what was otherwise a disappointing night for Labour. .

As a Surrey County Councillor, he has campaigned vigorously in defence of public services, particularly the retention of his local fire station, ironically named Staines Fire Station, despite being opposite Ashford Hospital and in Stanwell! and in favour of a 'better not bigger' Heathrow Airport. At the full County Council meeting in May 2014 Evans proposed and achieved a vote to achieve Fairtrade status for Surrey - the first county in the south of England to achieve this. The change was opposed by the Conservative Leader of many years' standing. Despite being a lone Labour councillor, Evans has achieved success in getting Surrey to oppose a return to grammar schools and to acknowledge and congratulate Sadiq Khan on being elected London's Mayor in 2016.

Robert Evans was educated at Ashford County Grammar School before gaining a BEd and MA from the Institute of Education, University of London. He then became a teacher and, at the time of his election to the European Parliament, he was head of a Junior School in Hounslow. He was awarded the highest grade by Cambridge University in his CELTA exam in 2013. He also studied elementary Bengali at SOAS, London.