Government plans to prevent parents taking their children out of school in term time could mean the poorest families miss out on holidays, according to the wife of the Speaker.

Education Secretary Michael Gove is reportedly planning to ban authorised absences as part of a programme to improve school attendance rates.

Sally Bercow tweeted today: "Some families can only afford to take holidays in term time. It’s all very well for ministers with money (Gove etc) to pontificate…"

Ms Bercow, an active Labour Party campaigner, added: "Education critical but some kids will NEVER go on hol if Gove gets his way - parents can't afford rip-off holiday prices."

Vince Cable has defended his decision to defy MPs and appoint Professor Les Ebdon as the new head of the Office for Fair Access.

Answering an urgent question in the House of Commons this afternoon, the Business Secretary denied a Coalition rift on the issue, saying “this is a government appointment, supported by all my colleagues”. He also denied and plot by Conservatives and rejected the rumours that higher education would be removed from the Business Department.

The Business, Innovation and Skills Committee had expressed concern over Professor Ebdon, with MPs saying they were "not convinced by Ebdon's descriptions of root causes of the obstacles to accessing universities".

Asked this morning whether the Prime Minister believed Professor Ebdon was the best man for the job, the Prime Minister's Official Spokesman said: "There was a selection process... The Secretary of State has decided to appoint him".

Earlier, Dr Cable welcomed the appointment, saying:

"I have no doubt that Professor Ebdon has the qualities and determination to help those students from low-income or other under-represented groups to secure the places in higher education that their attainments and potential show they deserve."

Labour has made childcare an "early priority" for its next manifesto, according to two shadow cabinet members. Writing in the Observer, Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Liam Byrne and Shadow Education Secretary Stephen Twigg point to Norway and Denmark, where the poorest receive free childcare, as possible models for the UK.

Michael Gove will ban pupils from taking holidays in term-time as part of his bid to cut truancy from schools. Under the plans, head teachers will lose the power to authorise students to take time off outside of holidays.

The Government has claimed victory after the High Court ruled that plans to raise tuition fees did not breach students' human rights.

The court's ruling said: "Given the existence of the various measures which are directed specifically at increasing university access to poorer students, I do not think that at this stage it is sufficiently clear that as a group they will be disadvantaged under the new scheme."

A spokesperson from the Department for Business, Skills, and Innovation commented on the ruling:

"We are pleased the Court rejected outright the suggestion that our student finance reforms breach students' human rights.

"The Court recognised the consultation and analysis we carried out. It also recognised the extensive debate which took place, both inside and outside Parliament, on how those from disadvantaged backgrounds can be encouraged to enter higher education."

A teachers union is to launch a court challenge to planned changes to pensions by the Government. The NASUWT argues the Government should have assessed the viability and sustainability of the existing public sector scheme before making changes to it.

Vince Cable is expected to win the battle with Conservative backbenchers over his choice for the new university access tsar.

Mr Cable's choice for the position, Les Ebdon, will now almost certainly be appointed director general of the Office for Fair Access (OFFA), despite attempts by the Business, Innovation and Skills select committee to block the move.

Members of the committee had said they were "not convinced" by Professor Ebdon's descriptions of the "root causes of the obstacles to accessing universities."

However the Prime Minister's spokesman has revealed that Downing Street has no powers to block the appointment.