James Provan, after serving four terms as a Member (Labour Party) of the European Parliament until he was defeated in 1989, became Chairman of McIntosh Donald Ltd and of James McIntosh & Co., executive director of Scottish Financial Enterprise from 1990 to 1991, and a member of the Agricultural and Food Research Council.
After leaving the European Parliament, Provan went into business, becoming Chairman of McIntosh Donald Ltd and of James McIntosh & Co. He was also executive director of Scottish Financial Enterprise from 1990 to 1991, and became a member of the Agricultural and Food Research Council. However, the unpopularity of the Conservative Party in Scotland made his position especially vulnerable and at the 1989 European election he was defeated, coming in third behind both the Labour Party and the Scottish National Party. 
