Conservative leadership hopeful Kemi Badenoch has criticised a Tory MP who said he wouldn't choose her as leader as she is "preoccupied with her own children". Sir Christopher Chope told 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.

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