Michelle Donelan

Michelle Emma May Elizabeth Donelan (born 8 April 1984) is a British politician serving as Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology since July 2023, having previously served in the position from February to April 2023 before being temporarily replaced during her maternity leave. A member of the Conservative Party, Donelan also held three other cabinet positions from 2020 to 2023 under Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak. She has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Chippenham in Wiltshire since 2015.

Donelan was selected as the Parliamentary Candidate by the Conservative Party for the new Melksham and Devizes constituency in May 2023.

The daughter of Michael Donelan and his wife Kathleen Johnson, Michelle Donelan was born in April 1984 and grew up in Whitley, Cheshire. At the age of 15, Donelan spoke at the Conservative Party Conference in Blackpool, having decided at the age of six to become a politician.

Donelan was educated at The County High School, Leftwich, before graduating from the University of York with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history and politics. While at university, she was involved in York Student Television.

Donelan's career outside politics was in marketing, including a time working on Marie Claire magazine and for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).

Donelan stood at the 2010 general election in Wentworth and Dearne, coming second with 17.6% of the vote behind the incumbent Labour MP John Healey.

She was then selected as the prospective parliamentary candidate for Chippenham in February 2013. After her selection at Chippenham, she became a trustee of Help Victims of Domestic Violence, a charitable organisation based in the town and a member of the Steering Group of Wiltshire Carers.

At the 2015 general election, Donelan was elected to Parliament as MP for Chippenham with 47.6% of the vote and a majority of 10,076.

Donelan served on the Education Select Committee between 2015 and 2018.

Before the 2016 referendum, Donelan supported the UK remaining within the European Union.

Donelan was re-elected as MP for Chippenham at the snap 2017 United Kingdom general election with 54.7% of the vote and a majority of 16,630.

At the 2019 general election, Donelan was again re-elected, with a decreased vote share of 54.3% and a decreased majority of 11,288.

Whip and Junior Education Minister

Donelan was appointed an assistant whip in 2018 and a government whip in July 2019. In September 2019, she was appointed parliamentary under-secretary for children to cover maternity leave for Kemi Badenoch.

In the February 2020 cabinet reshuffle, she became Minister of State for Universities. As of May 2020, her responsibilities included universities and co-chairing the Family Justice Board, which oversees the performance of the family justice system and is advised by the Family Justice Council.

In the 2021 cabinet reshuffle, her role was renamed Minister of State for Higher and Further Education, with the added right to attend cabinet. She was also sworn into the Privy Council.

During her tenure in the Department for Education, she campaigned for freedom of speech in Universities.

Secretary of State for Education

On 5 July 2022, in the wake of a large number of resignations from the second Johnson ministry over Boris Johnson's handling of the Chris Pincher scandal and other political scandals, Donelan, who was then serving as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Skills, Further and Higher Education (previously named Minister of State for Higher and Further Education during her tenure) was promoted to Secretary of State for Education, after her predecessor Nadhim Zahawi was appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer.

On 7 July 2022, after less than 36 hours in the role, Donelan resigned as Secretary of State, writing that Johnson had "put us in an impossible position". She was the shortest-serving cabinet member in British history, her tenure being shorter than Earl Temple's four-day tenure as Foreign Secretary in 1783. Following reports she would receive severance pay at Secretary of State level despite her short tenure, Donelan refused this payment.

Conservative Party Leadership Elections 2022

Donelan initially backed Nadhim Zahawi in the July-September 2022 Conservative Party leadership election, later backing Penny Mordaunt, after holding a constituency survey, she later switched her endorsement to Liz Truss after Penny Mordaunt and Nadhim Zahawi, who didn't receive enough support from Conservative MPs to move forwardwas eliminated from the election. After Truss resigned, she endorsed Rishi Sunak in the October 2022 leadership election.

Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Donelan was appointed Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on 7 September 2022 by then prime minister Liz Truss. Rishi Sunak succeeded Truss following the October 2022 Conservative Party leadership election, and Donelan retained her position in the cabinet.

She stated in January 2023 that she was against returning the Parthenon marbles to Greece, on the grounds that restitution would "open a can of worms" and be a "dangerous road to go down."

While retaining the position under the premiership of Rishi Sunak, Donelan scrapped plans to privatise Channel 4, a plan that was heavily pushed when the department was under the leadership of Nadine Dorries under Boris Johnson's premiership. While in the position, she stated she would wear the OneLove armband if she were to attend the World Cup in Qatar, alongside her Sports Minister, Stuart Andrew, this position was reported as controversial by the Evening Standard.

Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology

In a reshuffle of Sunak's cabinet on 7 February 2023, Donelan was appointed to the newly created role of Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology.

It was announced on 21 April 2023 that during her maternity leave, Donelan would be temporarily replaced as Secretary of State by Chloe Smith. She returned to her ministerial role on Thursday 20 July 2023 after 3 months of ministerial maternity leave.

Under Donelan's portfolio in the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, was the controversial Online Safety Act 2023. Under her leadership the Act was amended and made its passage through both Houses of Parliament, after the bills long tenure within the development stages and through its passage of Parliament. Donelan is planning to introduce major reform in online safety.

Libel settlement

In March 2024, Donelan publicly retracted allegations she made as science minister in October 2023, suggesting that Professor Kate Sang of Heriot-Watt University – an academic recently appointed to a UKRI advisory group – expressed sympathy for Hamas and shared extremist views. Sang had commenced a libel action against Donelan. Donelan's department also paid undisclosed damages to Sang plus legal costs. Donelan also apologised to another academic appointed to the same advisory group. Sang's lawyer said "It is extraordinary that a minister should be guided by a lobby group into making serious false allegations about private citizens without doing the first piece of due diligence." Over 2,500 academics had earlier signed an open letter condemning Donelan's accusation as an attack on academic freedom.

Parliamentary Candidate for the new Melksham and Devizes Constituency

In May 2023, she announced she would be contesting the Melksham and Devizes Constituency at the next general election; the boundaries of her Chippenham seat having been redrawn. The new constituency would include the council wards of Bowerhill, Box and Colerne, Bradford-on-Avon North, Bradford-on-Avon South, Bromham, Rowde & Roundway, Calne South, Devizes East, Devizes North, Devizes Rural West, Devizes South, Holt, Melksham East, Melksham Forest, Melksham South, Melksham Without North & Shurnhold, Melksham Without West & Rural, The Lavingtons, Urchfont & Bishop Cannings, and Winsley & Westwood. She will be replaced as the Parliamentary Candidate for the Chippenham Constituency (which has been redrawn) by Cllr Nic Puntis.

Donelan is married to Tom Turner. His family's firm Stronghold Global, a procurement company, has had government supply contracts. In December 2022, Donelan announced that she was expecting a baby and went on maternity leave at the end of April 2023.

Donelan identifies as Christian.

She was appointed a member of the Privy Council on 20 September 2021, invested via video link at Balmoral Castle.