He followed his father into coal mining at Water Haigh colliery at the age of 14 and then took night school courses at Whitwood Technical College.
He was elected a Labour councillor on Rothwell Urban District Council 1937–51, serving as chair in 1948.
Roberts was Member of Parliament for Normanton from 1951 to 1983 and was sponsored by the National Union of Mineworkers.
His career was controversial for his support for Francisco Franco, his relationship with the corrupt architect John Poulson and his regular votes in favour of capital punishment.
This article about a Labour Party member of Parliament representing an English constituency is a stub.