She was elected to the House in the 1987 election, and was one of the Maastricht Rebels, who nearly brought John Major's government down over the Treaty of Maastricht.
At the 1997 general election, there was a massive swing toward her opponent, but she remained MP, with a much-reduced majority of 1,536. She tried to stand for the Conservative candidacy for the Mayor of London elections in 1999, but was blocked.