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British politician, former Mayor of Tower Hamlets

John Robert Biggs (born 19 November 1957) is a British Labour Co op politician who was Mayor of Tower Hamlets between 2015 and 2022. Biggs was first elected to Tower Hamlets London Borough Council in 1988 where he served as a Councillor for St Katharine's Ward and later St Dunstan's Ward until 2002. He was selected as Leader of the Labour Group in 1991, and became a Council Leader in 1994 following a landslide election win. In 2000, he successfully ran for the City and East Constituency London Assembly seat. Over the course of a 16 year career in the Assembly he served as a member of the Metropolitan Police Authority, London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority, London Health Commission, Deputy Chair of the London Development Agency, Deputy Chair of the London Thames Gateway Development Corporation, Chair of Transport, Chair of Planning and Spatial Development, Chair of Regeneration, Chair of the London Assembly Budget Committee, and Chair of the GLA Audit Committee. He was elected Mayor of Tower Hamlets in 2015, and reelected in 2018. In 2007 he was made an Honorary Fellow of Queen Mary University, and of Birkbeck College in 2016.

He was educated at Queen Elizabeth's School, Barnet and graduated from the University of Bristol in 1979 having studied chemistry. He then studied Computer Science at Birkbeck College, University of London, and later studied law at the University of Westminster while serving as a Councillor. He served as an elected politician in London, in Tower Hamlets and East London between 1988 and 2022. In his 20s, Biggs worked as a Systems Analyst in the City of London. Later, he was director of the Labour affiliated Socialist Health Association from 1997 to 2000. He is an Honorary Fellow of Queen Mary University (2007) and Birkbeck College (2016).

Biggs was elected to Tower Hamlets London Borough Council in 1988, first as councillor for St Katharine's Ward, and Later St Dunstan's Ward until 2002. He was selected as the Labour Group leader in 1991, during the period the council was Liberal Democrat controlled (1986–1994). He led Labour to a landslide victory in 1994, leading the campaign to remove the UK's first BNP councillor, and the populist but discredited Liberal Democrat administration. After standing down as leader in 1995, he remained an active councillor but also attended Law School, served as Director of the Socialist Health Association (1997–2000), and was Deputy Chair of Bow Housing Action Trust (1995–2004).

Biggs lost re election in 2022 to Rahman and his newly formed Aspire Party by 40,804 (54.90%) to 33,487 (45.10%) votes, a result viewed by many as a surprise. Within nine months of Aspire's victory, in February 2023, with the unexpected departure of the longstanding lead official of Tower Hamlets Council, the Chief Executive of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy raised the prospect that the authorities would once again have to intervene following Lutfur Rahman's mismanagement of the council. Following the election he announced his retirement from elected politics and now works as a consultant and Non Executive Director. He is currently a Director (2022–) of Islington & Shoreditch Housing Association.