Angela Smith was first elected as the Member of Parliament for Basildon & East Thurrock in May 1997. Angela joined the Department for Communities and Local Government in May 2006. Prior to this, she worked as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

Previously, Angela had served in the Government's Whips Office and acted as Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to Paul Boateng, Minister of State at Home Office.

In 1998, Angela was one of the first MPs from the '97 intake to have her own law passed through Parliament. This was the Waste Minimisation Act, which enabled local authorities to do more to encourage the reduction of waste.