He once stated that members of the British Royal Family should register their financial and business interests like MPs, in the wake of the affair involving Sophie, Countess of Wessex, in April 2001. He also claimed he was “shocked by revelations” involving her. Soon after leaving office, in May 2010, he described the moment he was “nearly killed” by a sledgehammer wielding man in August 1998. He also announced he would not stand in Pendle in the next election, stating he was now a private citizen.