Chippenham MP Duncan Hames received an extra special gift this Christmas, with the birth of his first child Andrew on Sunday.

Mr Hames, whose constituency covers Melksham, Bradford on Avon, Corsham and Chippenham, used Twitter to announce his wife and fellow Lib Dem MP Jo Swinson had given birth to the couple’s first child.

Speaking after the birth, he said: “Jo and I were delighted to welcome our son Andrew Lennox Marshall Hames to the world on Sunday, weighing 7lb 10oz.

“Jo and Andrew are both doing well, and we're enjoying getting to know him. We're very grateful to the wonderful team of midwives who helped deliver him.”

Ms Swinson has been MP for East Dunbartonshire in Scotland since 2005, and the couple were married in Glasgow in 2011.

Mr Hames will now begin a period of paternity leave, which has seen him stand down as assistant to Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg.

He said: “When I told Nick that I would be wanting more time to spend with our new baby, I knew he would understand.

“Now that our son, Andrew, is with us, I am stepping down as the Deputy Prime Minister's PPS.

"I truly appreciated the opportunity to see the Coalition Government at work up close, and continue to support the dedicated efforts of Nick and the Liberal Democrat team he leads in Government."