George Benjamin Patterson joined the Conservative Party. Between 1968 and 1971, he was a Councillor on the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham.
In 1979, Patterson was elected member of the European Parliament and remained an MEP until 1994. During that time George Benjamin Patterson was member of the European Democratic Group, member of the Group of the European People's Party (Christian-Democratic Group), Vice-Chair of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs and Industrial Policy, member of the Committee on the Rules of Procedure and Petitions, member of the Committee on Youth, Culture, Education, Information and Sport, member of the Committee on Budgetary Control, member of the Committee on Social Affairs and Employment, member of the Committee on the Rules of Procedure and Petitions, member of the Delegation for relations with Latin-America, member of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs and Industrial Policy, member of the Delegation for relations with the countries of South America, member of the Committee on the Rules of Procedure, the Verification of Credencials and Immunities, member of the Delegation for relations with the Maghreb countries (Algeria, Marocco and Tunisia), member of the Delegation for relations with the countries of Central America and Mexico, member of the Committee on Petitions and member of the Subcommittee on Monetary Affairs.