At the 1983 general election, he sought re-election but came third with 18% of the vote while the Labour candidate Robert Wareing won. It was a time of intense political change and Eric no longer thought that the party he joined was any longer true to the political principles he believed in.
In the 1983 general election, Eric ran for re-election but came in third place with 18% of the vote, while Robert Wareing, the Labour candidate, won. He felt disillusioned by his party's direction and no longer believed it reflected his political beliefs.