Jagger spent the early part of his career in business, and travelled for four years as a business manager in India, China and Burma. He then became a departmental manager in co-operative stores. and became president of the
Amalgamated Union of Co-operative Employees, of which he was the chief founder. In 1921 he became general president of the
National Union of Distributive and Allied Workers, defeating the
Conservative MP
William Flanagan. The seat had been won by Flanagan in
1931 after it had been held by Labour since
1922. In July 1936, he was one eleven MPs who sent a telegram to
Prime Minister of Spain expressing their "admiration of the heroic fight being put up by the Spanish people against the attack of Fascists". The MPs pledged themselves "to do everything in our power to rally behind your struggle the whole British people". In 1938, he was one of the Labour MPs who visited Spain during the
Civil War. In May 1940, when
Herbert Morrison became
Minister of Supply in the
wartime coalition government, Jagger was appointed as his
Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS). Morrison was promoted to
Home Secretary in October 1940, and Jagger remained his PPS in the new post. == Death ==