She was a Mayor in the London Borough of Harrow, and a councillor for the Pinner ward, being the first black person to hold these positions.
[5] She began her political career at the 1982 Tory party conference declaring: "I am Conservative, black and British, and I'm proud of all three",[2][3][4][6][7] for which she received a standing ovation.
[3][4][6][7] At the 1984 Tory party conference, Champagnie was caught up in the Brighton bombing, and as a trained nurse, was able to administer help to the victims.
[2] In 1992, when Champagnie stood for election to Parliament in Islington North, she became the first black woman to stand as a parliamentary candidate for the Conservatives.
[11] In 2008, Champagnie became part of the Government Equalities Office cross-party task force in aid of black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) women.