I will take a short time out from being in Parliament when the baby is born but I'll still be doing my constituency work - just with another baby in tow.

Team GB's success at the Beijing Olympics can, in part, be said to have been made in Manchester. For example, all the cycling medal winners trained at Manchester's velodrome, the National Cycling Centre.

Funding for sports (and the arts) are often the first things facing the chop in difficult times.

Although my seat is a contest between Labour and the Lib Dems, it could well make the difference between a Labour and a Tory government at the next election. In terms of international development, this choice is a very clear one.

The Tories seem unable to make any impact north of the border.

As a relatively young woman - I'm 33 - I hope to one day have a family and already have commitments. If and when I'm elected as an MP, I would face a choice: take my family with me to London each week or be apart for four, maybe five, nights a week.

I will take a short time out from being in Parliament when the baby is born but I'll still be doing my constituency work - just with another baby in tow.