 In 1955 he was elected to the House of Commons for the Conservative Party in the marginal seat of The Wrekin, being re-elected in the subsequent 1959 and 1964 general elections.During the 1956 Suez Crisis Yates emerged as one of the government's staunchest critics.On 1 November 1956, Yates interrupted on a point of order and said, "I have come to the conclusion that Her Majesty's Government has been involved in an international conspiracy".