Caroline was born in 1958. She was educated at Herts and Essex Girls' Grammar and London University. She is married to Mark, a management consultant and they have 3 children. She enjoys cooking, gardening and is a member of the Parliament Choir.

Caroline is a former commercial negotiator specialising in purchase contracts for the food and pharmaceutical industries and a broker of commercial disputes. She was Deputy Director of International Confederation of Sugar Producers (CIBE) from 1984-89 and Administrative Secretary to the Sugar Beet Committee of the NFU of England and Wales from 1980-84.

She was a Research Fellow of Wye College. She is a trustee of the Snowdon Award Scheme to assist disabled students and a trustee of the Westminster Foundation for Democracy.

Caroline contested Bassetlaw in the 1992 General Election. In May 1997, she was elected Member of Parliament for Meriden. In July 1997, she was appointed to the Science and Technology House of Commons Select Committee and the Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Conservative Parliamentary Committee.

In June 1998, she was appointed an Opposition Whip. In the reshuffle of June 1999 Caroline was promoted to Frontbench spokeswoman for Health. In September 2001, she was appointed Shadow Secretary of State for International Development and Shadow Minister for Women. From November 2003 to March 2004, she was Shadow Secretary of State for the Environment, retaining her shadow ministerial responsibilities for women.

From March 2004 to June 2007, she served as the Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government. In June 2007, Caroline was appointed Chairman of the Conservative Party.