He moved to London in 1985, where he became closely involved in the Notting Hill Carnival, becoming chair of the Mangrove Community Association. He was elected Secretary of Notting Hill Carnival in 1987. It was at this time he met Brian Paddick, who described him as a "street hustler" whose group would "sell bits of the pavement they didn't own", ultimately overcoming opposition from the local police chief seeking to enforce the local authority's licenses. Jasper ran to be director of the carnival in 1989, but did not get elected.