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

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".

Conservative leadership candidate Kemi Badenoch is "preoccupied with her own children", a Tory MP has said, telling ITV that "you can't spend all your time with your family" while being Leader of the Opposition.

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, according to figures out from the Department for Education.

Kemi Badenoch ‘preoccupied with her children’ says Conservative MP - Veteran Tory Sir Christopher Chope said ‘you can’t spend all your time with your family as at the same time being Leader of the Opposition’.