WHEN Tony Blair stood on the steps of Number 10 a decade ago, it was a landmark in British politics.

But not only did it bring to an end 18 years of Conservative rule, it also kicked off a political career in the national arena for someone closer to home.

Angela Smith, Labour MP for Basildon and East Thurrock, was sent to Westminster ten years ago this week, on a night she describes as "momentous and incredible".

Yet she freely admits being an MP was not something she would have considered without a little help for her friends.

"I made no conscious decision to be in politics - I would say I was encouraged and persuaded by friends," she laughs.

"I certainly wouldn't have put myself forward as I was terribly shy and hated standing up in front of people."

Angela, now a youthful-looking 48, first stood for Parliament ten years earlier, in 1987, standing against the late Paul Channon in Southend West.

Despite losing, she describes it as "a learning experience".

"Paul was a lovely man, very kind to me," Angela recalls. "We may have come from opposing political backgrounds but I had great respect for him."

She was then elected as the county councillor for Pitsea, after Labour colleagues and friends, including husband Nigel, who is currently the Labour group leader on Basildon Council, once again encouraged her to put her name forward.

Representing Pitsea meant a lot for the young politician. She had grown up in the town, attending Pitsea Juniors and Chalvedon High School, and working behind the bar of the Winged Horse pub, in Luncies Road, as a young woman. Her parents still live in Pitsea today.

"I was there for eight years and the youngest woman to be elected to the county council," she recalls with pride. But before long, national politics were to call again.

"I have to be honest, there were times when I would sit in meetings at the county council and think, I could do better than them', but I never thought I'd be doing this," she admits.

"I grew up on a council estate in Pitsea and was the first member of my family to get a degree.

"I think it instilled a strong working-class ethic in me, which says you have to work hard to succeed, and I wanted to make my family and friends proud of me."

When she stood for Basildon and East Thurrock in 1997, even Angela couldn't have predicted the Labour landslide which saw her party sweep into power with a majority of 55 per cent.

On election night, secure in the knowledge Basildon had been won, Angela made her way to Southend Leisure and Tennis Centre, where her husband Nigel was awaiting the Rochford and Southend East result. He stood against respected MP Sir Teddy Taylor.

As she walked in, huge cheers could be heard throughout the building as ITV, BBC and national newspaper cameramen sought pictures and interviews.

This was the start of huge media interest in the increased number of women MPs the victory brought.

The significance was clear as before the 1997 election, less than ten per cent of MPs were women. Until the 1980s, the figure had been lower than five per cent.

After 1997, that figure jumped to 18 per cent and currently stands at 128 female MPs - 20 per cent of elected members.

Angela is dismissive of tags such as "Blair Babes" and "Tony's Totty" - suggesting the media was more interested in what they wore than what they actually had to say - but she concedes it was an important sea-change.

"In politics, for me, gender is irrelevant," she explains.

"It certainly doesn't make a difference to the job and I don't think the electorate care as long as you do the job. But the interest was understandable, I suppose, as there was this sudden critical mass."

Once in power, Angela wasn't one to rest on her laurels and was one for the first MPs of the 1997 intake to get an Act of a Parliament on the statute.

The Waste Minimisation Act enabled local councils to promote better schemes for recycling and rubbish. Green issues remain one of her priorities "I am tremendously proud of that, particularly as, back in 1998, there was not much interest in that area - certainly not like there is now - so I do feel vindicated in getting it passed."

The act's passage into law was tough for Angela, and called on all her resourcefulness.

"We were running out of time to get it heard," she explains. "But I managed to get two or three words of the debate out during the session, which meant I was first on the list for the next time - much to the annoyance of the Opposition."

That determination again proved useful in securing the Minimum Wage Bill.

"I still think one of our greatest successes was getting the minimum wage through," she says.

"At that time, I had seen a job advert locally advertising the rate as £1 per hour.

"When you worked out the benefits that person could claim, and by how much the taxpayer was topping up bad employers, I was determined we would see it through.

"But it turned out to be the longest sitting ever and went through the night as the Opposition kept trying to talk it out, but I was determined to stay despite certain national papers claiming women MPs had been allowed to go home early."

Angela recalls her first appointment to Government in 1999 with fondness and likens it to a scene from the hit political satire Yes, Minister.

"I had a call to ask where I would be if the PM wanted to talk to me. Apparently, you are supposed to say, I will be on this number' but I told them I was going for a swim and then doing some shopping," she chuckles.

And when the momentous call came that signified her promotion to an assistant whip ,the surroundings were hardly the most dignified.

"I was crouched in a shop doorway with my hand over one ear, desperately trying to hear what was being said on the phone," she laughs.

Two years later she was to receive another call from the top, this time to signify her position as a Northern Ireland minister. She went on to become the longest-serving female minister in the province.

"When they said I was going to Northern Ireland, I thought they meant for day," she grins.

But despite her humour, it is clear it was a role she had great respect and dedication to.

"A lot of people didn't know I was a minister at the time, as I made sure my constituency work didn't suffer. I think you can't be a good minister if you don't know what is going on in your constituency.

"But actually, there are a great number of people here who have suffered as a result of the problems over there, so the two were not entirely separate."

Although she has held the post of fire services minister since last year, constituency work is an MP's first and foremost responsibility, according to Angela.

"I need to feel part of the constituency - it wouldn't suit me to visit once a month. You need to use the same shops and the same hospitals to understand what the community is about.

"What I love about the area is its warmth and that doesn't often get recognised. We hear a lot of bad news about people behaving badly but there is a tremendous network of warmth and support here.

"There are lots of places locally that I love for different reasons. The open spaces at Wat Tyler Park and Langdon Hills, for example, and I always maintain Basildon has great shops.

"Another place I love is Corringham town centre - it has a great feel about it.

"The whole area has a lot of charm for me and lots of good memories because I grew up here. Seeing something I have worked on, or had a small part in, come to fruition gives me a tremendous amount of personal satisfaction,"

The feeling of belonging makes her more determined to fight for improvements to the area, she says.

"What is important to me for this area is keeping investment and jobs here. Growing up, I can remember my dad being out of work here, and people leaving school with no hope of getting a job. It is easy to forget how bad that was."

She continues: "It's important to be an advocate for the area and let people know about the good things happening here."

With planned boundary changes at the next election, Angela's seat is no longer safe - but with her trademark optimism, she highlights the positives as regaining Pitsea, her home town, within the constituency.

And despite warnings of a reduced majority, she claims never to have taken it for granted anyway.

The future also brings with it changes on the national scene, with Mr Blair's imminent departure and the arrival of Gordon Brown as his successor.

Angela has been vocal in her support of Brown, whom she describes as "strong, honest and decent". She was named in national newspapers as one of the MPs campaigning behind the scenes for Brown.

"He is never going to be someone who wows you with his charisma, but he has a tremendously caring side and a fierce intellect that will make him a good leader," she says.

Angela believes these qualities also make a good MP.

"MPs are normal people - they just do a not very normal job," she says with a smile.

"Above all, in politics, you have to be truthful. You have got to have your own integrity."