In the October 1974 general election, Jackson stood in Manchester Central without success. In European Parliament election in 1979 he was elected as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for Upper Thames. He played a prominent role on the European Parliament's budget committee. At the 1983 general election, he was elected to the House of Commons as MP for Wantage. He was subsequently appointed as a junior minister at the Department of Education and Science (1987–90), the Department of Employment (1990–92) and the Office of Public Service and Science (1992–93).
