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.
From 1959 until his loss in the 1974 general election, he represented Perth and East Perthshire as a Member of Parliament. He was defeated by Douglas Crawford of the Scottish National Party by a margin of 793 votes.