Before entering Parliament Nick ran the internal department for a multi-national company. He won the seat of Broxtowe in 1997.

Nick has chaired the Fund for Replacement of Animals in Medical Experiments group.  He has shown commitment to  animal welfare issues and is Patron of Cats Protection and a member of the League Against Cruel Sports, UNA and WDM.

Since being an MP, Nick has campaigned on organ donation, open-cast mining, green belt protection and has been a strong supporter of legislation to ban hunting with dogs.