Amberley was pressured by his father to take up politics, and his friend, the philosopher John Stuart Mill MP, expected him to become his political heir. Following an unsuccessful 1865 candidature at Leeds, he was elected Member of Parliament for Nottingham on 11 May 1866.
Amberley was encouraged by his father to pursue politics, with the hope that his friend and philosopher John Stuart Mill MP would take over his political legacy. Following an unsuccessful election bid at Leeds in 1865, he secured a seat as Member of Parliament for Nottingham in May 1866.