Michelle Emma May Elizabeth Donelan was born on 8 April 1984 and is a British politician serving as Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology since 7 February 2023.
18 Facts About Michelle Donelan
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Michelle Donelan previously served in the Johnson government as Minister of State for Higher and Further Education from 2020 to 2022 and as Secretary of State for Education for two days during the July 2022 government crisis.
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Michelle Donelan served under Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak as Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport from September 2022 to February 2023.
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Michelle Emma May Elizabeth Donelan was born in April 1984 and grew up in Whitley, Cheshire.
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At the age of 15, Donelan spoke at the Conservative Party Conference in Blackpool, having decided to be a politician at the age of six.
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Michelle 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.
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Michelle Donelan subsequently stood for parliament at the 2010 general election in the safe Labour seat of Wentworth and Dearne in South Yorkshire, receiving 7,396 votes to Labour MP John Healey's 21,316.
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Michelle Donelan was then selected as the prospective parliamentary candidate for Chippenham in February 2013.
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Michelle Donelan defeated incumbent Liberal Democrat member Duncan Hames with 26,354 votes to 16,278.
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Michelle Donelan served on the Education Select Committee between 2015 and 2018.
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In June 2017, Michelle Donelan was re-elected as MP for Chippenham with 31,267 votes, a majority of 16,630 over the 14,637 Liberal Democrat candidate.
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Michelle Donelan was appointed an assistant whip in 2018 and a government whip in July 2019.
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Michelle Donelan initially backed Nadhim Zahawi in the July-September 2022 Conservative Party leadership election, switching her endorsement to Liz Truss after Zahawi was eliminated from the race.
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On 7 July 2022, after less than 36 hours in the role, Michelle Donelan resigned as Secretary of State, writing that Johnson had "put us in an impossible position".
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Michelle Donelan 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.
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Michelle Donelan was appointed Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on 7 September 2022 by then prime minister Liz Truss.
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Rishi Sunak succeeded Truss following the October 2022 Conservative Party leadership election, and Michelle Donelan retained her position in the cabinet.
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Michelle Donelan was appointed a member of the Privy Council on 20 September 2021, invested at Balmoral Castle.