After graduation she continued her studies at the University of Manchester, carrying out postgraduate research into the care of people with schizophrenia, for which she was awarded a Master of Science degree in 1978.

From June 1997 to July 1998, she was a member of the Home Affairs Select Committee, until she was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary to Hilary Armstrong, Minister for Local Government and Housing.

In July 2001, she received significant ridicule and criticism in the media after it was revealed that along with other politicians she had repeatedly denounced an edition of the Channel 4 television show Brass Eye as being "unbelievably sick", but then subsequently admitting that she'd never seen it and refused to ever watch it.

[4] In 2002, Hughes was appointed Minister of State for Immigration, Citizenship and Counter Terrorism, but was forced to resign in April 2004 when it was shown that she had been informed of procedural improprieties concerning the granting of visas to certain categories of workers from Eastern Europe – she had earlier told the House of Commons that if she had been aware of such facts she would have done something about it.

[6] On 2 June 2009, Hughes announced she was resigning her ministerial position of Minister of State for Children, Young People and Families within that week following the Local and European elections with a cabinet reshuffle anticipated.

[7] She was made a life peer on 15 July 2010 taking the title Baroness Hughes of Stretford, of Ellesmere Port in the County of Cheshire.