THE Conservative MP for Bromsgrove has defended her claims that women must adapt to Parliament, after new figures showed her attendance rate was one of the worst in the House of Commons.

Figures from the Commons' library show Julie Kirkbride has attended 43 per cent of votes in the last three months.

The results mean she is ranked 535th for attendance out of 659 members, following the birth of her son, Angus, in October.

Miss Kirkbride said she voted on all important bills and insisted the calls to change the working hours and make Parliament more family-friendly were not justified.

She said: "I knew what I was taking on when I became an MP. I don't subscribe at all to the Blair Babe agenda.

"They were elected to Parliament and now want Parliament to accommodate them."

Instead, she prioritised votes important to her constituents, staying late into the night for these, but not wasting time with routine Government business, she said.

She added: "As a member of the Opposition it's not my business to stay around to get Government business through."

Prime Minister Tony Blair only attended five per cent of votes, Miss Kirkbride pointed out, and she urged him to set an example.