 He later took his step-father's family name.He attended Romford Grammar School, won a scholarship to Royal Liberty School in London and another to the London School of Economics, where he joined the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) and met his soon-to-be wife, Constance Saunders (he was an active member of the CPGB until 1956).He graduated in 1937 with a First in Economics.