 He joined the Labour Party in 1956, following the Suez Crisis.After being unsuccessful as a parliamentary candidate for Roxburgh, Selkirk and Peebles in 1959, he became a Member of Parliament in June 1962, when he defeated William Wolfe of the Scottish National Party in a hard-fought by-election for West Lothian.From 1983 onwards, he represented Linlithgow (when the New Town of Livingston formed its own constituency) and easily retained the seat.