John Lyons

John Lyons (19 May 1926 – 22 May 2016) was a British trade union leader.

Born in Hendon, the son of a publican, Lyons was educated at St Paul's School, London. He served in the Royal Navy from 1944 until 1946, then attended Emmanuel College, Cambridge, where he studied economics. Following a year doing market research for the Vacuum Oil Company, he briefly worked in the research department of the British Army. Having been a member of the Labour Party for 25 years, in 1986 Lyons joined the centrist Social Democratic Party (SDP), although he returned to Labour after the SDP merged with the Liberals two years later.

Lyons also served on the General Council of the Trades Union Congress. He was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1986, and retired from his trade union posts in 1991. From 1996 until 1998, he served as president of the Single Market Observatory.