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Rodgers first entered the British House of Commons in 1962, and served in Labour Governments under Harold Wilson and James Callaghan, becoming Secretary of State for Transport in Callaghan's Cabinet in 1976. He held the post until Labour's defeat in the 1979 general election. With Labour drifting to the left, Rodgers joined Shirley WilliamsShirley Williams, Baroness Williams of Crosby PC (born July 27, 1930), is a British politician. Originally a Labour MP, she was one of the Gang of Four rebels who founded the now-defunct SDP (Social Democratic Party) in 1981. She is now the leader of the, Roy JenkinsRoy Harris Jenkins, Baron Jenkins of Hillhead ( November 11, 1920 January 5, 2003) was a British politician and a prominent Labour MP in the 1960s and 1970s and founder member of the Social Democratic Party (SDP). Early life Born in Abersychan, Monmouthsh and David OwenDavid Anthony Llewellyn Owen, Baron Owen PC (born July 2, 1938), is a British politician. In 1981 he was one of the founders of the Social Democratic Party, and was its leader from 1983 to 1987, and of the reformed SDP between 1988 and 1990. He was also t in forming the Social Democratic Party in 1981.

At the 1983 general electionThe general election of June 9, 1983 gave the Conservatives and Margaret Thatcher the second most decisive election victory since that of Labour in 1945. Thatcher had been extremely unpopular during her first two years in office but following a swift and the SDP-Liberal AllianceUnited Kingdom 1981 The SDP-Liberal Alliance was an electoral alliance of the Social Democratic Party and the Liberal Party in the UK that ran from 1981 to 1988, when the bulk of the two parties merged to form the Social and Liberal Democrats, later refer won many votes but few seats, and Rodgers lost his seat of Stockton-on-TeesStockton-on-Tees is an industrial town and port on the River Tees in north-eastern England. It is the major settlement in the borough of Stockton-on-Tees. Major industries in Stockton include ship-repairing, steel and chemicals. The town is most famous fo. He remained outside Parliament until his appointment to the Lords in 1992. During that time he was Director-General of the Royal Institute of British ArchitectsThe Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a professional body for architects in the United Kingdom. It was awarded a Royal Charter in 1837. The RIBA is a member organisation, with 30,000 members. It is based in central London and in a dozen regi and also became Chairman of the Advertising Standards Agency .

In 1987 Rodgers was chairman of the successful "Yes to Unity" campaign within the SDP in favour of merger with the Liberal PartyThe Liberal Party was one of the two major British political parties from the early 19th century until the 1920s, and a third party of varying strength and importance up to 1988, when it merged with the Social Democratic Party to form a new party which wo. He became the Liberal Democrats' Lords spokesman on Home Affairs in 1994 and was its leader in the Lords between 1997 and 2001. His autobiography was titled Fourth Among Equals, reflecting his position as the least prominent of the SDP's founders.