Barbara Castle Barbara Castle Barbara Anne Castle, Baroness Castle of Blackburn, PC, GCOT ("née" Betts; 6 October 1910 – 3 May 2002) was a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for Blackburn from 1945 to 1979, making her the longest-serving female MP in the history of the House of Commons until that record was broken in 2007 by Gwyneth Dunwoody. She later became the Member of the European Parliament for Greater Manchester from 1979 to 1989 and subsequently a member of the House of Lords, having been granted a life peerage in 1990. One of the most significant
Angela Smith, Baroness Smith of Basildon by Sir Thomas Legg uncovered further monies over-claimed by Baroness Smith making a total of £1,429 which she later returned. An active supporter of animal welfare, Smith is a Patron of the Captive Animals Protection Society, a charity campaigning for an end to the use of animals in circuses, zoos and the exotic pet trade. Angela Smith, Baroness Smith of Basildon Angela Evans Smith, Baroness Smith of Basildon, (born 7 January 1959) is a British Labour Co-operative politician who was Member of Parliament (MP) for Basildon from 1997 until losing her seat to the Conservatives at the 2010 General Election.