BARONESS ANGELA SMITH OF BASILDON
Chair

Angela Smith  [The Rt Hon Baroness Smith of Basildon] is Labour's leader in the Lords, and Shadow Leader of the House. Until recently she was a Shadow Home Office Minister and one of two Deputy Chief Whips to our Group in the Lords. She was appointed a life Peer in 2010.

Angela is an experienced Member of Parliament, having represented Basildon in the House of Commons (1997-2010). As a backbench MP, she introduced the Waste Minimisation Act 1998. In 1999, Angela was appointed as a Government Whip before being promoted to Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (2002). In 2006, she moved to DCLG; after which she was appointed PPS to Gordon Brown (2007). In 2009, Angela joined the Privy Council and became Minister of State for the Cabinet Office. From 2010 to 2012, Angela was a frontbench spokesperson on DECC and Northern Ireland issues, before taking up her posts in the Home Office and Whips teams.
 
Angela trained as an accountant before working at the League against Cruel Sports from 1983, ultimately becoming Head of Political and Public Relations. In 1995, she become research assistant to Alun Michael, MP for Cardiff South and Penarth.
 
As well as being the Chair of The Production Exchange Angela is a patron of Basildon Women’s Aid and the President of Basildon Ladies’ Football Club. She is Vice-Chair of the Cuba Solidarity Campaign and a patron of the Captive Animals Protection Society. In her spare time, Angela enjoys swimming and Coronation Street.