In 1982 he joined the Social Democratic Party - which later joined with the Liberal Party to form the Liberal Democrats - and he unsuccessfully stood for Parliament in the general elections of 1970 , 1983 , 1987 and 1992 before being elected as the MP for Twickenham in 1997 .
However in 1982 , he joined the Social Democratic Party ( SDP ) which would go on to form the Liberal Democrats and he unsuccessfully contested seats in the elections of 1983 , 1987 and 1992 until being elected as the MP for the London constituency of Twickenham in the 1997 general election .