SOUTH Swindon MP Julia Drown and husband Bill Child have announced the birth of a healthy baby daughter.

The couple, who live in Bath Road, were today relaxing after the homebirth.

Ms Drown, 40, already has a son, Harvey Dexter, 3, but the couple's first baby, Ruby, died soon after being born in August, 1998.

The new baby was the same weight as Harvey 6lbs 8oz.

Ms Drown selected the right time to give birth with parliament scheduled to recess for the summer in a few weeks' time.

A former NHS executive, she gave birth to Harvey at Swindon's former Princess Margaret Hospital. She made political history in 1997 when she ousted the Tories to become Wiltshire's first woman MP.

Ms Drown has been a keen advocate of children's rights and social issues and backed Government plans to ban parents from smacking their children.

And most famously she caused a few raised eyebrows in the House of Commons when she took baby Harvey to work with her and petitioned for new mothers to be able to breastfeed in the famous chamber.