He has been a member of the Conservative Party since 1987,[8] having been politicised by the 1984–85 miners' strike.[9] He was deputy director of the Conservative Collegiate Forum, followed by chairman of Islington North Constituency Association, the constituency represented by Jeremy Corbyn since 1983.[9] He was tipped as a future cabinet member ahead of the 1997 general election,[9] in which he ran for Parliament for the newly created safe Labour seat of Warley, in Sandwell;[8] he came second, with 24% of the vote.[10]