He succeeded his father as Member of Parliament for Dorset in the 1774 election, and like him, was consistently pro-administration. He came under fire at the county meeting before the 1780 election from supporters of the "economical reform" campaign, but was returned unopposed. After the fall of the North ministry, he voted in favour of Shelburne's peace proposals in 1783. He did not vote on the East India Bill which brought down the Fox-North Coalition, and was considered a supporter of his kinsman William Pitt's ministry in 1784. He did not stand in the 1790 election.
