Maitland began her journalism career in 1964 as a reporter for the
Fleet Street News Agency and the
Blackheath and District Reporter. In 1967, she became a columnist for the
Sunday Express, a role she held until 1991. She worked as a freelance journalist from 1991, contributing to the
Daily Mail between 1998 and 2001. In the 1980s, Maitland reported to
MI5 an attempt by Yuri Sagaidak, a
KGB agent posing as a journalist for
Komsomolskaya Pravda, to recruit her. In 1989, MI5 assessed Sagaidak as a security risk leading to his expulsion from the United Kingdom.
Politics Maitland's political journey began in 1983 when she founded
Women for Defence, a campaigning group established to counter protests against the deployment of American Cruise missiles on British soil. It also opposed movements such as the
Greenham Common Women’s Peace Camp and the
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), promoting
nuclear deterrence as a pathway to multilateral disarmament. The group was later renamed
Families for Defence. Its official launch on 28 March 1983, marked by a public meeting in Trafalgar Square, drew significant attention and recognition from U.S. President
Ronald Reagan. On 19 January 1984, she participated in a public debate at Islington Central Library in London titled "Is Britain Worth Dying For?". Representing
Women and Families for Defence, she argued in favour of the proposition, while a representative of the
Socialist Party of Great Britain, argued against it. The organisation evolved into the
Defence and Security Forum (DSF), a think tank which addresses global defence and foreign affairs. Maitland serves as its president. At the
1987 general election, Maitland stood as the
Conservative candidate for
Bethnal Green and Stepney, but was unsuccessful. She later represented
Sutton and Cheam as its MP from the
1992 general election until
that of 1997, when the Conservative Party lost power, and she was defeated by
Liberal Democrat Paul Burstow by 2,097 votes. Maitland contested the constituency again in 2001 but was not re-elected. During her tenure in
Westminster, Maitland specialised in defence and security matters. She served on several Parliamentary Committees, including: • The Procedure Committee (27 April 1992 – 26 June 1995) • The Statutory Instruments Select Committee (7 February 1995 – 21 March 1997) • The Statutory Instruments Joint Committee (7 February 1995 – 21 March 1997) • The Health and Social Care Committee (10 June 1996 – 21 March 1997) Maitland was secretary to Conservative Backbench Committees on Northern Ireland, Defence, and Foreign Affairs, and to the Yugoslav Parliamentary Group. She introduced
Private Members Bills in the
House of Commons on Prisoner's Return to Custody (1995) and Offensive Weapons (1996). From 1996 to 1997, she served as
parliamentary private secretary to
Sir John Wheeler, then Minister of State for
Northern Ireland at the
Northern Ireland Office. She has been vocal against
positive discrimination, advocating for women to achieve political positions based on merit rather than quotas. In January 1997, during a debate in the House of Commons, Maitland described the suggestion of caning girls as "barbaric," expressing her opposition to the reinstatement of corporal punishment in schools. In the lead-up to the 2001 general election, Maitland was featured in a
BBC News article that detailed her efforts to regain the Sutton and Cheam seat, highlighting her campaign activities, including door-to-door canvassing and direct constituent engagement.
Beyond politics Maitland has worked in security and governmental activities for over 35 years, focusing on business development in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. She served as CEO of the
International Association of Money Transfer Networks (IAMTN), a London-based not-for-profit organisation established to support the
remittances sector and help fight
money laundering. In 2005, she cofounded the
Algeria British Business Council (ABBC), promoting economic collaboration between Algeria and the UK. ==Personal life==