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Dame Angela Eileen Watkinson, DBE ( Ellicott; born 18 November 1941) is a British politician. She was Conservative Party Member of Parliament (MP) for Hornchurch and Upminster until 2017, and was first elected in 2001 to the earlier seat of Upminster, defeating Labour's Keith Darvill who had taken the seat from the Conservatives in 1997. She was re-elected with increased majorities in 2005 and 2010.
On 19 April 2017, Watkinson announced that she would not be standing for re-election at the 2017 general election.
In 1988, she became a clerk to a school governing body, then committee clerk to Barking and Dagenham London Borough Council from 1988 to 1989. From 1989 to 1994, she was a committee manager for Basildon District Council. She was a councillor for Havering London Borough Council from 1994 to 1998, and on Essex County Council (for the division of Billericay North, from 1997–2001. This was a rare example of a councillor serving simultaneously on first tier authorities in different counties.
At a press conference on 13 March 2007, Watkinson stated that "the whole premise of sex education was wrong". Watkinson is among a dozen or so MPs who hold the most firm record on sexual identity politics, disapproving of every piece of legislation supportive of homosexuality that has passed through the House of Commons. An exception was her vote in support of the second reading of the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill on 5 February 2013.
She was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 2013 New Year Honours for public and political service.
Watkinson has expressed opposition to the introduction of non-branded packaging for cigarettes; in a debate on this in 2014, Labour MP Diana Johnson pointed out that Watkinson had accepted hospitality and two tickets to the Chelsea Flower Show, worth £1,260, from Japan Tobacco, makers of Benson & Hedges cigarettes. Government to move ahead with standardised cigarette packets, BBC News, 3 April 2014 She is a supporter of Israel and often spoke about that in the House of Commons.
In spite of her background as a right-wing "lifelong Eurosceptic", she supported the Remain campaign in 2016 and opposed Brexit prior to the 2016 European Union membership referendum.
On 19 April 2017, Watkinson announced that she would not be standing for re-election at the 2017 general election.
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