[citation needed] In 1974, he stood unsuccessfully for parliament for the safe Labour seat of Pontefract and Castleford in the February general election, and was then also defeated at the more marginal Gravesend in October.

He served under Thatcher and later John Major as an Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland between 1985 and 1992 and under Major as Minister of State for Trade between 1992 and 1995,[citation needed] and was instrumental in transforming Northern Ireland's economic base and the UK's export strategy under Michael Heseltine.

[citation needed] and One Man Two Worlds (2021) a memoir of his life in politics and business Lord Kilmorey holds an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws from the University of Ulster.

A founder member of the UK-Japan 21st Century Group, he was appointed a member of the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star, by the Emperor of Japan.He was appointed the Order of San Carlos by Juan Manuel Santos, President of Colombia for his work on the Peace Process in Colombia.

They have three children: Although Needham inherited the Earldom of Kilmorey and Viscountcy of Newry and Mourne on the death of his father in 1977, he did not petition the House of Lords to formally claim succession until October 2012.