ɪn hɪz θˈɜːɾi z, hiː wʌz ᵻlˈɛktᵻd tə ðə bˈɜːkʃɚ kˈaʊnti kˈaʊnsəl ænd stˈʊd æz ðə kənsˈɜːvətˌɪv pˈɑːɹɾi kˈændᵻdˌeɪt fɚðə hˈaʊs ʌv kˈɑːmənz ɪn sˈaʊθɔːl ɪn fˈɛbɹuːˌɛɹi nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd sˈɛvənti fˈoːɹ.
In his 30s, he was elected to the Berkshire County Council and stood as the Conservative Party candidate for the House of Commons in Southall in February 1974.