Olivia Bailey has announced she is leaving government following Prime Minister Andy Burnham's ministerial reshuffle, bringing to an end her time as Minister for Early Education and Minister for Equalities.
In a statement published on X, Ms Bailey described serving as a minister as "the most amazing privilege" and reflected on the work carried out during her time in office.
She wrote:
"It has been the most amazing privilege to serve as a Minister in the Labour government I have worked for my whole life."
Ms Bailey said she had been particularly proud of work undertaken to review the early education and childcare system, restore family support services in communities and introduce new legal protections for children with allergies in schools.
She also highlighted her work on LGBT+ equality, describing the introduction of legislation to ban conversion practices as her personal highlight during her time in government.
Reflecting on her departure, Ms Bailey said she was disappointed not to be able to continue that work from within government but pledged to remain an active supporter of the Government's programme from the backbenches.
She also spoke about the personal challenges her family had faced over the past year, including the loss of her mother and her wife's serious illness. Ms Bailey said she was looking forward to spending more time with her family and with constituents in Reading West and Mid Berkshire.
Concluding her statement, she said:
"I will remain a firm supporter of this Labour government and the work being done to improve the lives of my constituents. I wish the best to my successor and look forward to working with them and the new Prime Minister as we continue to deliver the change we promised to the country."
Ms Bailey served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Early Education and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Equalities before leaving office as part of the Government's latest reshuffle.
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