He was Member of Parliament for Perth and East Perthshire from 1959 until his defeat at the October 1974 general election, when he lost by 793 votes to Douglas Crawford of the Scottish National Party.
He was Member of Parliament for Perth and East Perthshire from 1959 to 1974. In February 1974 he was re-elected for that seat by 8,975 votes, but in October he lost by 793 votes to Douglas Crawford of the Scottish National Party.