[4] Prior to his election as a London Assembly Member, Copley worked for Searchlight, the anti-racist and anti-fascist organisation.

[10] In May 2018, Copley was elected to represent the Sydenham ward on Lewisham London Borough Council, as one of three Labour councillors.

[17] Following his election to the London Assembly, Copley, who is gay, was made a patron of LGBT Labour.

[24] In January 2013 he called for an investigation into allegations of blacklisting on the Crossrail project, claiming the practice was "almost endemic" in the construction industry.

[25] In July 2013 Copley undertook a rapporteurship into the challenges facing small theatres in London.

[28] Copley has campaigned extensively on housing issues including homelessness,[29][30][31] and the Right to Buy policy, on which he has produced two reports.