A major row has erupted after Andrea Leadsom allegedly said being a mother makes her a better choice for prime minister than Theresa May.

Leadsom is quoted by The Times as saying that being a parent gives her an edge in the race to succeed David Cameron because it showed she had a "very real stake" in the future of the country.

"Genuinely I feel that being a mum means you have a real stake in the future of our country, a tangible stake," she said.

The mother-of-three said May "possibly has nieces, nephews, lots of people. But I have children who are going to have children who will directly be part of what happens next".

Leadsom also said May must be "really sad" not to have children and that she did not want to capitalise on it as to do so would be "really horrible."

But asked to contrast herself with the home secretary, Leadsom said: "I see myself as one, an optimist, and two, a member of a huge family, and that's important to me. My kids are a huge part of my life."

Her comments have caused a huge backlash from Conservative MPs, with one calling them "devastatingly depressing".

But Leadsom, who has emerged from relative obscurity to become a contender to run the country, has demanded a retraction from The Times after claiming say she had been misquoted.

She accused the newspaper of "gutter journalism" and "despicable and hateful reporting".

"I am beyond anger and disgust," she said. "The reporting of what I said is beneath contempt.

"In front of The Times correspondent and photographer, I made clear repeatedly that nothing I said should be used in any way to suggest that Theresa May not having children had any bearing whatever on the leadership election.

"I expect The Times to retract the article and the accompanying headline."

May, who is guarded about her private life, used an interview with the Mail on Sunday last weekend to open up about not having children.

"You see friends who now have grown-up children, but you accept the hand that life deals you," she said.

Leadsom's controversial comments came as May urged her to sign up to an agreement to clean campaigning to keep the contest positive.

The Times used the headline "Being a mother gives me edge on May - Leadsom" and said the 53-year-old had got "personal in her ruthless campaign".

After Leadsom's furious reaction, its deputy editor published the transcript showing the controversial comments.

Conservatives reacted angrily with Business Minister Anna Soubry saying the comments proved Leadsom "was not PM material".

Armed forces minister Penny Mordaunt, who is backing Leadsom in the leadership contest, said the report was a "smear" attempt.

"I'm afraid this is an attempt, I think, by a paper that has declared for the other candidate to smear Andrea," she told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.