Robert John Emlyn Evans (born 23 October 1956) is a British Labour Co-operative politician who served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from 1994 until 2009. He was first elected to the European Parliament for London North West, and then in 1999 and 2004 for the London constituency. He has been a Surrey county councillor for the Stanwell and Stanwell Moor ward since 2013. Early life and career Robert John Emlyn Evans was born in 1956 in Ashford, then in Middlesex, now in Surrey. He 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 Crane Junior School in Hounslow. Political career Evans was elected to the European Parliament for London North West in the 1994 European Parliament election, having previously stood unsuccessfully in 1989. He sat with the Party of European Socialists group and sat on the European Parliament's Committee on Transport and Tourism. His main achievement was to create a new Europe-wide law to outlaw discrimination against disabled passengers when travelling by air. He was a substitute for the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs, Chair of the Delegation for relations with the countries of South Asia and was also closely involved with Romania and Moldova. From 1999–2004 he was Vice-Chairman of the Committee on Citizens' Freedoms and Rights, Justice and Home Affairs. From 2004 to 2007 he was Chairman of the European Parliamentary Labour Party. Evans was an election observer for the European Parliament, and was Chair of the mission to observe the Pakistan elections in 2008 and EU Chief Observer to Cambodia in 2003. Evans announced in November 2008 that he would not be seeking re-election to the European Parliament in 2009. He has since been an independent consultant and freelance advisor to various MPs, MEPs, to CAMS College in Hayes, and with his special expertise in Bangladesh to the charities BRAC, London Tigers and the Brussels-based, NGO Shipbreaking. Additionally he is a part-time lecturer at Royal Holloway College, London University. Evans stood unsuccessfully for Parliament as the Labour Party's candidate in East Berkshire in 1987 and Uxbridge in 1992, and later in the 2003 Brent East by-election. Brent East was previously a safe seat for the Labour Party, and had been held