He began his business career in that year with Procter & Gamble in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, going on to hold senior marketing and general management appointments in a range of companies, including Reader's Digest, National Semiconductor, Coats Viyella and United Distillers.

[2] He faced accusations of hypocrisy as he had demanded in November 2000, that MEP Bill Newton Dunn immediately resign as a result of his move from Conservatives to the Liberal Democrats.

[12] On 6 May 2014 it was announced on the official UKIP website that Helmer would contest the Newark by-election, following the resignation of former Conservative MP Patrick Mercer.

On 13 June 2017, Helmer announced he would be resigning from the European Parliament, citing age and health status as reasons, but amid allegations of misuse of public funds.

[17] On 19 July 2009, on his blog, Helmer defended the Polish Law and Justice MEP, and chairman of the ECR, Michał Kamiński from accusations of homophobia.

"[19] On 11 August 2009, Helmer defended himself against criticism of comments he had made, saying he was not claiming "that there is no discrimination, and that homosexuals do not suffer violence and prejudice from people because sadly, we all know that is not the case."

but rather, he states, that the word homophobia has "no meaning" because he has "never met anyone with an irrational fear of homosexuals" and claims that the term is a propagandist one created by the "militant gay rights lobby.

"[20] In March 2012, Helmer spoke out in support of Cardinal Keith O'Brien, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland, who had earlier condemned the government's plans to introduce same-sex marriage as a "grotesque subversion of a universally accepted human right."

Although he had formerly been critical of the Roman Catholic Church, labelling it "systematically paedophile", Helmer praised O'Brien's statement, opining that "Christian moral principles are not a bad basis for a free and fair society".

"[22] Ahead of the 2014 Newark by-election, Helmer gave an interview to The Mail on Sunday, in which he said the NHS should fund the discredited gay conversion therapy, comparing it to sex-changes and homeopathy.

[29] According to a June 2014 Guardian article, all three main UK parties expect their MEPs to provide an independent audit to verify expenses though this is not an EU requirement.

[32] In a letter to the Leicester Mercury on 16 November 2009, Helmer accused the Church of England of having "abandoned religious faith entirely and taken up the religion of climate alarmism instead.

"[36] Helmer welcomed the discovery by the British Geological Survey of rich deposits of shale gas under Melton and the Vale of Belvoir pointing to successful extraction in the US despite "horror stories circulated by green lobbyists.