Palmer was born in Northam, Devon and educated at Ashford County Grammar School and Acton Technical College.
During World War II and the London Blitz he was an engineer at Battersea Power Station.
He served as a councillor on Brentford and Chiswick Borough Council from 1937 to 1945 and later as a conservator of Wimbledon and Putney Commons.
Palmer was elected Member of Parliament for Wimbledon in 1945, becoming the first Labour MP for the constituency.
This article about a Labour Party member of Parliament representing an English constituency is a stub.