Cliffe was a Member of Parliament for the
National Party from 1990 to 1996. In
1990 he replaced the retiring
George Gair in the
North Shore seat, and was re-elected in
1993. He became a Cabinet Minister in December 1993 holding the portfolios of
Accident Compensation, Radio & Television, and Associate Finance. In 1994 he proposed Water Services Limited (Auckland Emergency water supply) bill. In 1995, with the first
mixed-member proportional (MMP) representation election impending in
1996, he resigned his cabinet posts and was a founder member of the
United New Zealand Party, initially led by
Clive Matthewson. Cliffe then unsuccessfully sought to bring about a merger of
ACT and United, along with other smaller "centre" or liberal parties to create a "united" centre party for the new MMP environment. In 1996 he chose to resign from Parliament. The United New Zealand Party lost all but
Peter Dunne's seat in the
1996 election, and continued in Parliament under Dunne's leadership. On 27–29 May 1995, he participated in "Wellington After the Quake" Conference (page 191). ==After politics==