[1] In March 2016, he resigned as Minister of State[2] in order to undertake a 2000-mile solo walk from Buenos Aires to Rio de Janeiro to raise awareness of the Olympic Truce.

He offered his resignation on 31 January 2018 for showing "discourtesy" after arriving one minute late for a debate in the chamber, but it was not accepted by the Prime Minister.

At the 1987 general election, he stood for parliament for the first time, contesting the Tyne Bridge parliamentary constituency, which was retained by the Labour Party.

Bates contested the November 1991 by-election in Langbaurgh caused by the death of Conservative MP Richard Holt.

Bates was appointed as a Parliamentary Private Secretary to Nicholas Scott, Minister of State at the Department of Social Security, in October 1992.

In 1995, he was promoted to be a Government Whip (Lord Commissioner of the Treasury), and in 1996 was appointed Paymaster General in the Cabinet Office and Sponsor Minister for the North-East of England, posts which he held until May 1997.

[9] Between 2006 and 2008, Bates researched ethics and foreign policy for a doctorate at Durham University's School of Government and International Affairs, and served as a non-resident tutor at St John's College.

He served as a deputy to William Hague in his role as Chairman of the Northern Board of the Conservative Party and Head of Campaign North.

In December 2008, he was appointed an Opposition Whip in the House of Lords, and Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office and Energy & Climate Change.

[11] On 23 March 2016, Lord Bates resigned from the Home Office[12] in order to walk 2000 miles from Buenos Aires to Rio de Janeiro to promote the Olympic Truce and raised over £260,000 for UNICEF.

[15] On 31 January 2018, he offered his resignation after arriving a minute too late for a question from Baroness Lister of Burtersett in the House of Lords, which had sat early that day.

[20] In 2013 Lord Bates was shortlisted for 'International Campaigner of the Year' in the Dods Parliamentary Awards On 4 August 2014, Lord Bates embarked on a 1,054 mile/two-month walk[21] from London to Berlin raising £41,000 for the German charity Friedensdorf International (Peace Village International)[22] who provide emergency medical for child victims of conflict.