After two unsuccessful general election candidacies, Carr won a sensational by-election victory in 1991 to become the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ribble Valley.
When John Major formed his government in November 1990, he appointed the sitting MP for Ribble Valley David Waddington as Leader of the House of Lords.
Carr was selected as Liberal Democrat candidate,[8] and benefited from a campaign run by the same team which had won the Eastbourne by-election four months before.
[11] During the by-election Carr said that he found that the issue which most animated voters was the Community Charge or Poll Tax, which the Major government was reviewing with a view to replacing but which was still being levied.
[12] He admitted that under the alternative local income tax system favoured by his party, a rate of 5.6% would be needed for Ribble Valley, meaning a bill of £550-£600 for each taxpayer which was significantly more than the Community Charge level.
[15] It was reported at the end of April that the local Liberal Democrats had asked to rent a venue for Carr to hold his constituency surgeries for no more than six months, rather than the three years offered.
[16] Admitting he was breaking with tradition, Carr made his maiden speech the day after taking his seat because there was a Labour-initiated debate on abolition of the Poll Tax.
[18] Before arriving in Westminster to take his seat, Carr had made contact with Conservative MP Ken Hargreaves, who represented a neighbouring constituency and who was an organiser of the anti-abortion campaign in Parliament, to offer his help.
[19] He was called at Prime Minister's Questions on 4 February 1992, and asked about a constituent who was told to wait 14 months for a hip replacement but offered the chance to pay to have the operation done privately without delay.
In autumn 2005, Carr was Liberal Democrat candidate in a Rossendale council by-election in Hareholme ward,[29] coming in third place as Labour gained the seat from the Conservatives.
A further attempt to win Greensclough ward in the 2006 local elections produced a greater defeat,[30] and when he fought in 2007 he finished in third place with 23% of the vote.
Mashed Youth Project is currently offering a range of educational opportunities to 14- to 19-year-olds in various Highland Region communities including Fort William, Kinlochleven, Ullapool, Thurso and Balintore.