Keith Darvill


Keith Ernest Darvill is a Labour politician in the United Kingdom. He is a councillor in the London Borough of Havering.

Early life

Darvill was educated at Norlington School in the London Borough of Waltham Forest, in East London and at the Polytechnic of Central London school of Law after which he worked as a solicitor.

Member of Parliament

Darvill was elected as Labour Member of Parliament for Upminster at the 1997 election, taking it from the Conservatives, and was one of the few Labour MPs to lose their seat at the 2001 election to the Conservatives, in the person of Angela Watkinson.
Darvill stood once again in Upminster, Labour's sixth target, at the May 2005 general election, but failed to regain the seat.

Havering politics

Darvill was elected to Havering Council from the ward of Heaton at the 2002 election. He unsuccessfully stood for the London Assembly seat of Havering and Redbridge at the 2004 election. He was narrowly re-elected at the 2006 election when Labour was almost wiped out in the borough. Following the 2010 election Labour increased its council group to 5 and Darvill was elected Labour group leader on the council. As a result of the 2022 election Darvill retained his role as leader of the Labour group and was appointed cabinet member for climate change as part of a coalition deal he helped to negotiate between the Labour Party and the Havering Residents Association.

Personal life

He lives in Upminster with his wife Julia, he has three children and seven grandchildren.