Michelle Donelan has gone on maternity leave from her cabinet role, with Friday marking her last day as the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation & Technology for a while.

The Chippenham MP became the second cabinet minister to take maternity leave after she announced she was expecting a baby last December.

Her cabinet role while she is on maternity leave will be filled by Norwich North MP Chloe Smith, 40.

But she says she will be continuing to work for her consituents in Wiltshire while on  10 weeks maternity leave for her ministerial role.

Ms Donelan, 39, said: “Welcome to Chloe who will be picking up the baton as Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology today as I go on a short maternity leave.

“After an incredible first few months, I’m excited to see what the department achieves next.”

Ms Donelan added: "I am due to give birth tomorrow and will be taking 10 weeks maternity leave (for the ministerial role) until mid-July."

She became the MP for Chippenham, Bradford on Avon, Melksham and the surrounding villages in 2015.

Miss Donelan said she will continue to look after her constituency business and respond to correspondence.

She was appointed Secretary of State for Science, Innovation & Technology in February.

The role has responsibility for the Online Safety Bill, oversight of science and technology, economic and national security, skills and talent, landscape review, research bureaucracy, regulation, the overall R&D budget and Horizon Europe.

It also has responsibility for the Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA) and the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) relationship, OneWeb shareholding and British Technology Investments Ltd

Ms Donelan was previously appointed Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport from September 2022 until she was handed her new cabinet role by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

She was previously appointed Education Secretary for just three days in July 2022 but resigned after losing confidence in former PM Boris Johnson.

She was Minister of State for Higher and Further Education from September 15 2021 to July 2022.

She was also previously Minister for Universities at the Department for Education from February 13 2020 and a Government Whip from July 29 2019 to February 13 2020.

Ms Donelan was an unpaid Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Education, covering the maternity leave of Kemi Badenoch, from September 2019 to February 2020.