 He lost his seat in the February 1974 general election to Plaid Cymru's Dafydd Elis Thomas, and was unable to regain the seat in the general election that quickly followed that October.He was then appointed to lead Labour's campaign in Wales for a "yes" vote in the referendum to remain in the EEC.In 1981, he was selected to fight Ynys Môn, but withdrew in March 1983, shortly before the 1983 general election, in protest at Labour's policies of withdrawal from the EEC, unilateral nuclear disarmament, and closure of US military bases in the UK.