She was educated at the Westwood Grammar School for Girls (a Grammar School, now called King's Academy Prospect) on Honey End Lane in Reading, University of West London, and the Bournemouth College of Technology.

[1][additional citation(s) needed] She worked in adult education as a Home Economics tutor from 1968 until 1974.

She was an auxiliary nurse for a year in 1976, and was appointed as a sales and training manager with GEC Hotpoint in 1977.

[citation needed] Browning contested Crewe and Nantwich at the 1987 general election, but was narrowly defeated by the veteran Labour MP Gwyneth Dunwoody by just 1,092 votes.

She was appointed the Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Minister of State at the Department for Education and Employment Michael Forsyth in 1993.

She was appointed as an opposition spokeswoman on Education and Employment under William Hague, but she stepped down in 1998 to look after her autistic adult son, Robin.

Following the 2001 general election, she was briefly an opposition spokesperson on Constitutional Affairs, before becoming the Vice Chairman of the Conservative Party 2000–04.