He lost his seat in 1967, but was re-elected for the Vauxhall ward in 1969. He resigned from the council when he was elected as MP for Liverpool Scotland in a by-election held in April 1971, after the sitting Labour MP Walter Alldritt had resigned to become regional secretary of the National Union of General and Municipal Workers.
In 1967, he lost his position but was re-elected for Vauxhall ward in 1969. He resigned from the council when he won as MP for Liverpool Scotland in a by-election held in April 1971, after Walter Alldritt's resignation to become regional secretary of the National Union of General and Municipal Workers.