 He was MP for Banbury from 1945 to 1959, holding three junior ministerial positions from 1953 to 1957.In particular, he was Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs through the Suez Crisis in 1956.Unlike Sir Anthony Nutting, who resigned as Minister of State at the Foreign Office, Dodds-Parker considered it his duty to remain in office even though he did not support the plan for Britain and France to invade Egypt under the pretext of separating the Egyptians from a prearranged invasion by Israel; he was, however, sacked from government in the following year.