the cabinet of the Third Labour Government. In the ensuing caucus ballot he polled reasonably well, but after nine other Auckland MPs were elected to cabinet the subsequent voting reflected a concern for regional representation and neither Isbey or any other Aucklander was elected for the remaining positions. However he was appointed as a Parliamentary Under-Secretary to the Minister of Labour, Minister of Civil Aviation & Meteorological Services and Minister of Transport from 1973 to 1974 by Norman Kirk. When Bill Rowling became Prime Minister he appointed Isbey Under-Secretary to the Minister of Railways. In 1973 he was elected vice-president of the Labour Party, after withdrawing from the ballot for president in favour of Charles Bennett. His win was something of a surprise with Stan Rodger, President of the Public Service Association, seen as the front-runner. Other aspirants were Ron Barclay, Roger Drayton, Jonathan Hunt, Gerald O'Brien and Trevor Young (all MPs). As vice-president he pledged himself to bring about greater unity between the industrial and political wings of the Labour movement. When Labour was in opposition (1975–84) Isbey was shadow minister for Labour, Immigration, the Arts and Sport and Recreation. He was one of the earliest proponents of nuclear-free legislation. He introduced a bill to make New Zealand nuclear-free in 1976 but it was voted down by the Muldoon Government. Later, in 1982 Isbey received a public anti-nuclear petition when it was presented to parliament. In 1977, Isbey received the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal. In 1978 his seat of Grey Lynn was abolished, absorbed mostly into , in an electoral redistribution. In danger of his political career being ended by a redistribution, he was given the unflattering nickname Eddie 'Was-bey'. He stood against Labour's incumbent Auckland Central MP, Richard Prebble, for the nomination but was beaten by Prebble. He then set his sights on unrelated seats after allegedly being promised "we will find you a safe seat Eddie" by the party hierarchy. Isbey put himself forward for the seat of before withdrawing at the last moment on a tip he would win the nomination. However he was defeated in an upset by Ralph Maxwell. After the initial selection for was deadlocked between Mike Moore and Colin Moyle, Isbey was invited to contest the seat at the second selection meeting and was successful. He won the seat and represented it from to 1987, when he retired. During the