[1] He decided to stand for Parliament and joined with the group of Labour Party members who supported Ramsay MacDonald's decision to form the National Government.
[8] Worthington had a straight fight with the sitting Labour MP, David Vaughan, and succeeded in winning the election with a majority of 1,524, regarded as an "outstanding result" by The Times;[9] four years later it was described as the most remarkable victory in the West of England.
[13] A serious illness in 1933 restricted Worthington's political activity,[14] and early in 1934 he had to deal with a severe economic blow to his constituency when the owners of Lightmoor Colliery at Cinderford gave notice of its closure.
Worthington arranged a conference with their representatives, who agreed to delay closure in the hope that the workers could transfer to the nearby Northern United Colliery when it was ready to open.
[18] When Ramsay MacDonald retired as Prime Minister in June 1935, Worthington (who had remained his Parliamentary Private Secretary throughout) was given a Knighthood in the 1935 Birthday Honours.
[20] Worthington remained interested in politics and worried in 1936 that the National Government would struggle to retain its support among progressive voters, especially if its candidates had to stand as Conservatives.