Michelle Donelan: has MP who replaced Nadhim Zahawi as education secretary resigned - what she said on Twitter

Michelle Donelan has resigned from her position as the newly appointed education secretary, just over 36 hours into the role.

She had been selected as the new Secretary of State for Education after her predecessor, Nadhim Zahawi, was appointed as Chancellor of the Exchequer, following Rishi Sunak’s resignation.

In her resignation letter, Donelan said: “[Boris Johnson has] put us in an impossible position. I am deeply saddened that it has come to this, but as someone who values integrity above all else, I have no choice.”

The move came shortly before Johnson announced his intention to resign as Prime Minister.

Who is Michelle Donelan?

Donelan is a British politician who had most recently been appointed as the Secretary of State for Education, taking over from Nadhim Zahawi after he was given the new position of Chancellor of the Exchequer, following Rishi Sunak’s resignation.

She was born on 8 April 1984 in Whitley, Cheshire, and attended the County High School in Leftwich.

She spoke at the Conservative Party Conference in Blackpool in a debate on post-devolution Britain in 1999 at the age of 15.

Donelan went on to gain a BA degree in history and politics from the University of York, and was the first in her family to finish university.

It was during her undergraduate degree that she became involved in the long running York Student Television where, after briefly acting as a presenter, she held a number of positions, including PR manager, advertising manager and commercial director.

What has her political career been like?

In the 2010 general election, Donelan stood for parliament in the safe Labour seat in Wentworth and Dearne, however lost out to Labour MP John Healey. She was then selected as the prospective parliamentary candidate for Chippenham in February 2013.

Following her selection at Chippenham, she became a Trustee of Help Victims of Domestic Violence, which is a charity based in the town, as well as a member of the Steering Group of Wiltshire Carers. She then bought her first house that same year in Chippenham town centre.

Donelan became a Member of Parliament for Chippenham in 2015, and has remained as such since then.

In 2015 she was elected by her fellow MPs onto the Education Select Committee, where she then became part of the sub-committee on Education, Skills and Economy.

The roles that she has held throughout her career are:

• An unpaid Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Education covering the maternity leave of Kemi Badenoch MP from 4 September 2019 to 13 February 2020
• Government Whip (Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury) from 29 July 2019 to 13 February 2020
• Minister of State for Higher and Further Education from 2021 to 2022

Prior to working in politics, Donelan worked in marketing in the media and entertainment industry, including working for Pacific Magazines, The History Channel and for Worldwide Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) as an International Marketing Communications Manager.

She was also the press and media development officer for Conservative Future, the youth wing of the Tory party, before she stood as a candidate in the 2010 general election.

Is she married?

Donelan is in a relationship with Head of Commercial at Stronghold Global Tom Turner.

In November 2021, the Good Law Project revealed that Turner’s firm had been awarded a number of PPE contracts, landing leads to supply NHS hospitals, Government Covid testing sites and universities whilst Donelan was the Minister of State for Universities.

At the time, a spokesperson for the Cabinet Office said: “The Minister has fully complied with the Ministerial Code to the satisfaction of the Independent Adviser.

“It would be wrong to suggest there is any conflict of interest. The Minister’s role at DfE has no involvement with PPE procurement decisions or the business of the company her partner works for.

“The Ministerial Code sets out the process by which Ministers should declare and manage their interests, working with their Permanent Secretary and the Independent Adviser on Ministers Interests.

“The Independent Adviser oversees the publication of the List of Ministers interests where they are relevant.”

A Department for Education spokesperson also added: “The Minister declared her partner’s employment, which was not deemed relevant for publication.”

What’s her voting record like?

You can see Donelan’s voting record, as well as other MPs, thanks to websites like They Work For You.

According to her profile on the site, Donelan votes on the vast majority of issues in the same way as her fellow Conservative MPs.

Her voting record includes:

• Almost always voting against laws to promote equality and human rights - zero votes for, six votes against and one absence between 2015 and 2019
• Almost always voting against UK membership of the EU - one vote for, 18 votes against and four absences between 2016 and 2019
• Consistently voting for a stricter asylum system - 11 votes for and zero votes against between 2015 and 2020
• Voting for reforming the NHS so GPs buy services on behalf of their patients - one vote for and zero votes again in 2019
• Consistently voting against measures to prevent climate change - zero votes for and 14 votes again between 2016 and 2020
• Consistently voting against paying higher benefits over longer periods for those unable to work due to illness or disability - zero votes for and eight votes again between 2015 and 2016

What did she post on Twitter?

At 8:51am on Thursday 7 July, Donelan announced her resignation on Twitter, where she posted her letter in full.