Alice Macdonald, the Labour MP for Norwich North, has taken to social media to share that she has given birth to a baby boy.

The announcement makes the 42-year-old the first Labour MP in Norfolk's history to have a child while serving in office. 

She has said her parliamentary team remains available to contact during her maternity leave.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Alice Macdonald MP (@alicemlabour)

A post shared by Alice Macdonald MP (@alicemlabour)

In her announcement, Ms Macdonald said: “My partner and I are happy to announce the safe arrival of our baby boy.

“I will be taking some maternity leave to spend time with my family, but my team remains available to help with any concerns, casework and progress on important projects - please don’t hesitate to get in touch.”

She also paid tribute to staff at the Norwich and Norwich Hospital who supported her throughout her pregnancy and birth: “I also want to say a huge thank you to the wonderful team at the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital, including midwives, doctors, anaesthetists, nurses and so many other staff members as well as the amazing community midwifery team for all their dedicated and expert support throughout my pregnancy and beyond.”

Ms Macdonald also follows in the footsteps of her predecessor, Chloe Smith, who gave birth to two children during her 15-year tenure as the Conservative MP for Norwich North.

Chloe Smith enters the House of Commons in London, holding her baby to support the Government in a vote on the European Union Bill (Picture: PA)

Following her first pregnancy, Ms Smith made history in 2017 when she returned from maternity leave to take part in a Brexit vote alongside her four-month old son, Alistair.

It is believed to be one of the first instances in history where a baby was allowed in the Chamber by the speaker of the house.

© Norwich Evening News