He was made chief opposition spokesman in the Lords, first for Culture, then for Treasury affairs (1997–9), but he was removed by Conservative party leader William Hague for publicly opposing NATO's 1999 bombing of Yugoslavia.
Temast sai lordide koja opositsiooni eestkõneleja kõigepealt kultuuri ja hiljem majanduse valdkonnas (1997–1999), kuid tolleaegne konservatiivide juht William Hague eemaldas ta sellelt kohalt, kuna ta oli avalikult vastu NATO-poolsele Jugoslaavia pommitamisele.