 Orr was chairman of the Ulster Unionist MPs in the House of Commons from 1964 to 1974 and also Imperial Grand Master of the Orange Order.He defended the influence of Orangemen in the UUP, saying they are "neither bigoted nor uncharitable ... we do not seek to injure or upbraid a man on account of his religious opinions ... and that they treated those who differed from them with all the common courtesies of a civilised community.