 He contested Torbay for the Labour Party in 1992, coming third with 5,503 votes (9.59%).He then went on to represent Hertfordshire in the European Parliament from 1994 to 1999.He was a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, the Security Sub-Committee, and the delegation for relations with the Russian Federation throughout his time in the European Parliament, and was also the UK Government's spokesperson on foreign affairs and defence in the Parliament from 1997 to 1999.