Prior to becoming a Minister, Davies held many directorships and consultancies with several companies. He was awarded the 'Parliamentarian of the Year Award' by "The Guardian" in 1996, the same year he was named 'Backbencher of the Year' by BBC Radio 4. He was the Chairman of the Conservative Group for Europe from March 2006 until his defection to Labour in June 2007. In 1991, he was fined on two charges of animal cruelty, having been legally responsible for his farm employees’ failure to feed the sheep on his estate. Following his conviction and the immediate dismissal of the shepherd who had been left in charge, he was greeted by Labour MPs with calls of 'Baaa!'