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 the by-election loss to the Conservatives of that seat in 1967. After boundary changes in 1974, he was elected for Walthamstow.

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, when he lost against the national trend, but following a massive rates rise by the Labour council of Waltham Forest, to Conservative candidate Hugo Summerson.

References

• Times Guide to the House of Commons, 1966 & 1987