Anne was a borough councillor in Surrey for five years and trained as a nurse working in the NHS for 25 years. She was elected as MP for Guildford in 2005.

Anne served as Minister for Public Health, was a member of the Government Whips Office for 5 years and was the first female Deputy Chief Whip. She was appointed Minister for Skills and Apprenticeships and Minister for Women in 2017 and resigned in 2019. She stood as an Independent candidate in 2019 general election.

Anne has worked with several organisations in the Further Education sector and now works with the Purpose Coalition, PeoplePlus, PLMR , Serco and is an Associate with KPMG. She is also a Founder Member of The Company of Nurses, a Trustee of Surrey University Students Union and sits on the Yvonne Arnaud Development Board.