Beverley Hughes is to stand down as children's minister in the forthcoming ministerial reshuffle and step down as an MP at the next election.
The Guardian has reported that Hughes had told prime minister Gordon Brown in a letter that her decision was due to "family circumstances" and not the row over MPs' expenses.
Hughes became children's minister in May 2005, succeeding Margaret Hodge, and has since been at the forefront of the implementation of the government's Every Child Matters agenda.
Before entering parliament in 1997 Hughes worked as a probation officer and a lecturer in Manchester University's department of social work.
Related articles
Social care minister has high hopes for new children's minister