Nick has been the MP for Arundel & South Downs since May 2005.

In December 2005 David Cameron appointed Nick as the Shadow Minister for Police Reform. In July 2007 he was promoted to the Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Secretary of State for Justice. In January 2009 he was appointed Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Following the 2010 General Election, Nick was appointed Minister of State for Policing and Criminal Justice, working in both the Home Office and Ministry of Justice.

Prior to his election Nick was the Director of Reform, the independent think tank which he co-founded in 2002. Reform aims to “set out a better way to deliver public services and economic prosperity” and has been described by commentators as “the most important think tank to emerge for a decade”.