He was the Hong Kong Governor's aide-de-camp from 1964 to 1966,[4] and in March 1968, after two years serving as adjutant to the first battalion of the Durham Light Infantry, retired from the army at the rank of captain.

[4] When the party returned to government in 1970 he became political secretary to the leader of the Greater London Council, Sir Desmond Plummer.

In 1972 he was selected as the new Conservative candidate for Bexleyheath, whose predecessor constituency, Bexley, Edward Heath had left in favour of neighbouring Sidcup due to boundary changes.

[2] In February 1974 Townsend was elected with a majority of 3686 votes, despite his party being defeated overall and the seat being considered marginal.

In 1979, after six months as Parliamentary private secretary to Reg Prentice, he resigned over immigration restrictions on Asian fiancés.

He criticised Geoffrey Howe's 1981 budget and in November 1982 was the only Conservative MP to oppose benefit cuts.

He also supported the boycott of the Moscow Olympics in 1980 in response to the Soviet–Afghan War, and was elected eight times as vice-chair of the Tory backbenchers' defence committee.

[2] As a result, in January 1991 the executive of his constituency association proposed to make him stand for reselection, with Townsend's critics saying that he was a maverick who failed to consult his local party on key issues.