Tory leadership candidate Andrea Leadsom has furiously denied telling The Times she has an edge over her rival Theresa May, because she has children.

The Energy Minister sparked a furious backlash after she said while Mrs May "possibly has nieces, nephews", she had children which gave her "a very real stake" in Britain's future prosperity.

Mrs May responded by urging her Tory leadership rival to back her "clean campaign pledge" after the newspaper report suggested Mrs Leadsom was using her status as a mother to give her an advantage.

Yesterday, I launched my clean campaign pledge, and invite @AndreaLeadsom to join me in signing it -TM pic.twitter.com/jaC3hP34N4 — Theresa May (@TheresaMay2016) July 9, 2016

But speaking outside her Northamptonshire home, Mrs Leadsom, who has demanded a retraction by the newspaper, insisted: "I am disgusted at the way this has been presented.

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"I want to be crystal clear that everyone has an equal stake in our society and in the future of our country. That is what I believe, and it is what I have always believed," the mother-of-three added.

The Times published a transcript of parts of its interview with her and defended its report.

Truly appalling and the exact opposite of what I said. I am disgusted. https://t.co/DPFzjNmKie — Andrea Leadsom MP (@andrealeadsom) July 8, 2016 @thetimes @RSylvesterTimes this is the worst gutter journalism I've ever seen. I am so angry - I can't believe this. How could you? — Andrea Leadsom MP (@andrealeadsom) July 8, 2016

In the interview, the journalist asks Mrs Leadsom: "During the debates, you repeatedly said: 'as a mum'. Do you feel like a mum in politics?"

Mrs Leadsom's replied: "Yes. I am sure - I don't really know Theresa very well - but, I am sure she will be really, really sad that she doesn't have children.

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"So I don't want this to be 'Andrea's got children and Theresa hasn't'. Do you know what I mean? Because I think that would be really horrible.

"But, genuinely, I feel that being a mum means you have a very real stake in the future of our country, a tangible stake.

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"You know, I mean… she possibly has nieces, nephews, you know, lots of people - but I have children who are going to have children who will directly be a part of what happens next."

The interview comes just days after Mrs May spoke for the first time about the sadness she and her husband Phillip felt when they discovered they could not have children.

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The two women are going head-to-head to win the Conservative leadership race and become the next Prime Minister.

Prior to the interview, Mrs May had issued a statement imploring her opponent to a fight a clean campaign and stay within the "acceptable limits" of political debate, following the bitter EU referendum campaign.

Following Saturday's report, Mrs May tweeted: "Yesterday, I launched my clean campaign pledge, and invite @AndreaLeadsom to join me in signing it -TM"

Tory MP Sarah Wollaston wrote on Twitter that Mrs Leadsom "has repeatedly shown that she lacks judgement & is not the right person to lead the nation. She should now withdraw".

In truth @andrealeadsom better suited to obscurity than high office — Sarah Wollaston MP (@sarahwollaston) 9 July 2016

Tory MP Nadine Dorries, who is backing Mrs Leadsom, said on Twitter that every female politician who is a mum should draw on their motherhood. "She should do it more often," she added.

Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond also called on Mrs Leadsom to sign up to the clean campaign pledge and told Sky News the Conservative Party "don't want to witness a slanging match".

"They don't want to see back-stabbing. They want a clear, open debate."