WWE unveil Jennie Bond as their 'Royal Rumble correspondent'

       Which is more brutal - Prime Minister's questions or a Royal Rumble? A one-on-one interview with Kay Burley or a Smackdown with the Rock?

       The one person in British politics who could possibly answer that question is the current Secretary of State for Science, Information and Technology Michelle Donelan whose career before being an MP included a stint as the marketing manager for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).

       So when Express.co.uk recently covered the minister's visit to UK Biobank in Stockport, we asked her.

       She laughed, responding: "That's a good question."

       After a little hesitation, she diplomatically added: "I think WWE certainly prepared me for some big egos I can say. But I think they're very different sectors."

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       READ MORE: Brexit Britain will be a world-leading science superpower by 2030

       Michelle Donelan speaks to Express.co.uk's David Maddox (Image: Daily Express)

       And you can understand why she found the question difficult to answer.

       A smart and thoughtful minister known more for her diligence than any extravegance, Donelan does not come over as one of the world of politics' great fighters.

       But she should not be under-estimated. This is a woman who went toe to toe with Kay Burley in 2022 and gave...how can one put it...a proper royal smackdown to one of Kay Burley's infamous gotcha questions.

       Burley went after her 36 hours as Education Secretary before resigning from Boris Johnson's Government.

       "How long were you there [in the Department for Education]?" she asked. "Three years," replied Donelan.

       When asked about the ￡17,000 severence pay, Donelan added: "I was able to reject the money."

       A rather chagrined-looking Burley said: "I didn't know that."

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       Donelan at UK Biobank (Image: Daily Express)

       The episode being referred to showed Donelan's inner toughness having taken the job with Johnson's dying Governemnt she was willing to step away when she decided it was time for him to go.

       One of the key differences, though, between WWE and politics is that the wrestlers are play-acting, it may look real but it is not. The opposite is true of House of Commons politics where MPs are overly polite describing each other as "honourable" and "friends" when they are trying to do each other in at every turn.

       Maybe, though, if you have dealt with the Rock (aka Dwayne Johnson) or Stone Cold Steve Austin or even Seth 'Freakin' Rollins, watching the antics of Boris Johnson, Keir Starmer or even Ian Blackford is rather mundane.

       Not that you would believe it watching PMQs from the gallery where a sign that an MP has a question is the nervous shaking of their hands as they get ready to get up in what can only be described as a weekly bearpit of catcalls and howls of derision.

       Not so different from Wrestlemania then.

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       Donelan, 39, was first elected to Parliament for the Chippenham seat in 2015 ahead of the referendum a year later.

       As well as the WWE she had worked for the more tranquil History Channel and in Australia for Pacific Magazines before entering the Commons having graduated from York University in History and Politics.

       She spoke at a Conservative Party conference for the first time when she was just 15 and according to friends had wanted to be an MP since she was six.

       She and her husband Tom Turner had their first child Noah last year. But just five days after giving birth, Donelan was back at work dealing with the Online Safety Bill.

       In a world of rough and tumble, plotting and backbiting which would make some of the WWE competitors blush, Ms Donelan is a rare case of someone respected by all sides of her party.

       While remaining in the Cabinet and clearly rated by Rishi Sunak who entrusted her with his new Department for Science Innovation and Technology a year ago this week, many of the plotters who want him out admire her too.

       One former cabinet minister who is not exactly a fan of Sunak's told Express.co.uk: "Michelle really is one of us [on the right]. But she is very good. She is diligent hardworking, gets on with it, doesn't do the nasty things."

       She is a Christian and is seen as a small c Conservative by many "who just gets on with people".

       But as she was announcing new funding for UK Biobank in Manchester and other research facilities as well as getting on with the Brexit Holy Grail of ripping up red tape to make research projects easier to commission, Donelan was able to boast of a very successful first 12 months for her department.

       She said: "What we're doing in terms of my department is we're on a mission to make sure that the UK becomes a science and technology superpower by 2030.

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       "Over the last year, we produced a strategy or plan for every single one of our critical technologies. We convened the world's first-ever safety summit on AI back in November and achieved landmark agreements that people said we wouldn't be able to get.

       "We managed to carve out a bespoke deal on Horizon with the EU. And that's something that the Opposition said was impossible to take the deal on the table. And yet we got a deal that isn't just good for our scientists and researchers, but also good for our taxpayer."

       Donelan's name is not on the regular long list of leadership contenders, maybe because she is not a "Clash of Champions", as they say in WWE, sort of politician. Nevertheless, she is one to look out for if the Tories find they are in "Hell in a Cell" after the next election.

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