He is a Barrister-at-Law who lived and worked in Paris; a Member of Parliament since 1983; and a member of Government as Second Church Estates Commissioner.
He was awarded the Freedom of the City of London in 2003 and made a Knight Bachelor in the 2004 New Year Honours List. For his services to Franco-British relations, Sir Stuart was awarded the Legion d’Honneur by French Presidential Decree on 18 April 2006.