As a young man he was an interpreter in France and Germany, a secondary school teacher in Derby, and a tutor at the University Tutorial College in London.

However, at the 1950 general election, he lost his seat to the Conservative Party candidate Charles Hill, the former "radio doctor".

Warbey re-entered Parliament at a 1953 by-election for the Nottinghamshire constituency of Broxtowe, following the death of sitting Labour MP Seymour Cocks.

He held the seat until his retirement at the 1966 general election.Thereafter, he was employed as Executive Director of the Organisation for World Political and Social Studies.

[1] He was known for his strong opposition to British support for the United States in the Vietnam War, resigning the Labour whip in protest in September 1965, and "subsequently wrote a scathing book about [Harold] Wilson's support for the United States" entitled Vietnam: The Truth.