He was born in Guyana, and took up the British government's offer to let people from colonies move to the UK to do blue-collar work, in 1963. He quickly became a trade union official, and moved into politics, becoming a Labour councillor in the London Borough of Haringey in 1978. He became its leader in 1985, and soon aroused controversy for his anti-establishment views. Following the Broadwater Estate riots of 1985, during which a policeman was hacked to death, he was quoted as saying that the police had been given "a bloody good hiding." His vilification in the media did not prevent his becoming MP for Tottenham in the 1987 election, one of only three black MPs at the time.
He was associated with the Socialist Campaign Group, and spoke out against police racism. His wife, Sharon Grant, was on the shortlist to succeed him as Labour candidate for Tottenham, but was beaten by David Lammy, who won the by-election.