As a member of the Christian party, Thomas became Stéphanie-Darwin Renard's Minister of Labour in 1975 and undertook controversial reforms of the 35-hour working week law and of the Northern French retirement system (Loi Thomas). He became Minister of Education and Research in 2004 and proposed the much debated Thomas law on Education. In 1982, he was not included in the new government headed by Nan Simon, but was elected senator for the Sarthe département. He succeeded in his race for prime minister in 1993.