Posh parts with label

The news follows months of speculation the pregnant singer was going to be dropped by Virgin Records.

But Beckham, also known as Posh Spice, has released a statement saying she had not been dumped by her record company.

A spokesperson for the performer said: "No-one has been dropped. The Virgin deal has come to a natural end and both parties have decided not to continue."

She is the third ex-Spice Girl to be left without a record deal following Virgin's split with Emma Bunton and Mel B.

There had been high hopes for the individual members of the Spice Girls when they launched solo careers having been part of the biggest girl band ever.

Chart battle

But sales figures have been disappointing, especially for Beckham who has failed to achieve a number one single.

Beckham's debut album cost a reported £5m to produce but only managed to sell about 50,000 copies.

Her high-profile chart battle with Kylie Minogue fizzled out when it became clear the Australian pop star was trouncing Posh Spice.

Beckham embarked on a whirlwind tour of the country in an attempt to drum up sales, even recruiting husband and England captain David Beckham to join her in autograph signing sessions.

But Minogue's Can't Get You Out of My Head landed at number one, selling more than 300,000 copies, while Beckham's Not Such An Innocent Girl only reached number six.

Collaboration

Beckham's last single to be taken from the album, Mind Of Its Own, had even less success, shifting about 15,000 copies.

Mel B left Virgin Records in July 2001, saying she wanted to take a break from recording and concentrate on other projects including presenting the ITV1 show This is My Moment.

Her solo career started well with the collaboration with R'n'B star Missy "Misdemeanour" Elliot I Want You Back which reached number one in 1999.

But her last single, Lullaby, only got to number 13 in the charts.

Her debut album Hot peaked at number 28 in 2000 before falling quickly out of the chart.

Emma Bunton's solo career got off to a better start as she notched up a number one single with What Took You So Long.

Quiet

But this was not enough to keep Virgin Records happy and she too was left without a record contract.

Mel C, aka Sporty Spice, has achieved relative success with her solo work, with four top ten hits and two number ones. Her album Northern Star was also a big seller.

She too has been quiet of late but she is said to have been recording her second album, working with producers in Los Angeles.

Geri Halliwell, who quit the Spice Girls in 1998 after falling out with other members of the group, has remained in the public eye and has achieved success with her solo career with hits such as Scream If You Wanna Go Faster and It's Raining Men.

She is now concentrating on writing the second instalment of her autobiography.