MP who spoke out against abuse returns to Parliament after maternity leave

Stafford's Theo Clarke was left dismayed after receiving abuse for taking the time off after giving birth to her daughter Arabella in August.

She was met with messages of "you can't be an MP and want to go off and have children" whilst another said Stafford need a 'hard-working MP who doesn’t just take six months off when she fancies it".

But now – after speaking out on the issue – she has returned to Parliament and been named as a Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) at the Department for Business and Trade.

Mrs Clarke said: "It’s good to be back following the birth of my beautiful daughter in August and I have received a warm welcome from MPs and parliamentary staff from across the House.

“I came to parliament following the death of Her Majesty and, of course, constituency meetings and other work have been happily juggled around my parental duties these past months.

“I would like to thank everyone who has been so supportive including colleagues, constituents, and my family. I would also like to thank The Speaker for allowing me to delay taking the oath of allegiance. It shows how important he takes the matter of maternity leave.

“But now it is back to work. I am looking forward to having the honour again of sitting on the green benches in the House of Commons representing Stafford. My PPS work will also allow me to fly the flag for Staffordshire businesses and promote exports from our area to drive growth, jobs and the local economy.

“Thank you also to the Prime Minister. He offering me the PPS role during my maternity leave and was happy to wait for me to start until I got back. This goes to show how family friendly this government is and the PM supported me to stay at home with my baby.”

The MP, who was elected Stafford MP in 2019 after Jeremy Lefroy stood down, was backed by a number of high-profile MPs including former Chancellor Sajid Javid against the abuse she received.

"I am pleased I spoke about my experience because I believe a woman in the 21st century can and should have a job and be a parent," she said.

“The reaction of so many was heartening. I have been contacted with good wishes from all over the country and seen palpable anger too from many who are very disturbed to learn there are still people out there who feel a woman should not be an MP and a mother of a newborn.”