Jenny Willott has ruled herself out of the running for the charities minister role in the new government.

The current charity representative for the Liberal Democrats is going on maternity leave in the next few weeks and told Civil Society that she would not be lining herself up for a ministerial role:

“However, that aside clearly I’d love the job,” she added. “It would be back working with the sector in which I worked in the past, able to influence decisions that could make a significant difference to the sector.

“Whoever is the new minister will need to focus on what support the sector needs to survive and grow through the recession. This would include looking at reducing some of the bureaucracy tying the sector’s hands and looking at how government contracts are tendered and awarded.”

Willott declined to comment on whether Nick Hurd or any other MP might be offered the role.

She also said the position on a mooted Office of Civil Society would be clarified in the weeks to come.