He was also on the Mid-Essex education committee of Essex County Council. Parliamentary career In 2016, Atkins recalled "I became an applicant to become an MP, but I thought it was hopeless because I was so left wing." He first contested the marginal Lowestoft seat at the 1964 general election, but was unsuccessful. The outcome saw his party return to government with a slim majority; however, the presence of a Liberal Party candidate in the Suffolk constituency (which had previously been a two-way contest) took votes from both Atkins and his Conservative rival Jim Prior. Labour prime minister Harold Wilson called an election in 1966, and greatly increased his party's majority. Among the Labour gains was Atkins winning the marginal Preston North in Lancashire, unseating the Conservative former minister Julian Amery. As a Member of Parliament, he lobbied Wilson for a new polytechnic institute of education in Preston, which lead to Preston Polytechnic being established in 1973; this, according to the Lancashire Post, was "one of his proudest moments". Atkins also successfully campaigned to save the Preston to Ormskirk railway line, which was under threat of closure. During this period, he chaired the all-party retirement group, who fought for early retirement, in 1967 presenting a petition to Parliament for voluntary male retirement at 60, which was signed by more than a million people. He also supported Liberal MP David Steel's abortion bill, which did not go down well with Preston's large Catholic population. He thought this may have cost him his seat at the subsequent 1970 general election: Atkins lost to the Conservative candidate Mary Holt, and Labour were out of power. Following this, he lectured at Accrington College of Further Education until 1974, a year which saw two general elections take place. At the February 1974 election, Atkins won back Preston North, defeating Mary Holt by a majority of just 255 votes (0.63%). Labour formed a minority government, and Atkins was back in Parliament. Harold Wilson called another election for October 1974, in the hope of securing a majority. Atkins was re-elected with an increased vote share, and Labour won the election with a small overall majority, on the back of a pledge to hold a referendum on Britain's recent entry to the European Economic Community (EEC). In common with the left of his party at the time, Atkins was opposed to membership of the EEC. The 1975 referendum,