Conservative MP Christopher Chope sparks a backlash after suggesting Kemi Badenoch could not be the leader of the opposition because she spends "a lot of time with her family".

Christopher Chope said he was supporting Robert Jenrick, who also has three children. School absences in England at 6.9%, down on previous year, but still well above pre-pandemic levels, DfE says 14:06 The school absence rate for England for the autumn and spring terms of 2023-24 was down on the same period the year before – but still much higher than pre-pandemic,

The Tory party appears to be veering toward the right with the final two candidates - here we look at the difference between the pair

Sir Christopher Chope faces criticism as he suggests Badenoch could not commit to the demands of being party leader.

Sir Christopher Chope says ‘you can’t spend all your time with your family at the same time as being leader of the opposition’