Penny Mordaunt

Trade minister likens Boris Johnson to Paul McCartney playing new songs when people want the hits.

Asked which of the pair they would support, 67% picked Mordaunt, and just 28% went for the former chancellor. Seen by some as the “woke candidate” for her antipathy to the urge by some colleagues for the party to focus on “wedge issues” such as gender identity, Mordaunt stressed that she believed there was a “biological difference” between those who were born male and female. Mordaunt touted her Brexiter credentials, saying her plans for a “modern economy” focused on growth and competition, rather than tax and spending, would “yield a Brexit dividend”.

All the eight UK PM candidates, who received the support of 20 MPs, will now compete in the first round of voting scheduled to take place on Wednesday.

"...as Prime Minister, I will continue to deliver on the opportunities of the Brexit," she said in a video post. In a video announcing his candidature, he said, "We need leadership that returns government to service of our economy, our people and our country. 8. Nadhim Zahawi: "NZ4PM" is his hashtag for his social media campaign. He also aims to "replicate Ireland’s ‘Celtic tiger’ with bold business tax cuts that unleash the growth that’s been missing from our economy for too long". "I'm putting myself forward in this leadership election because I want to tell the truth. He launched a campaign "#Ready4Rishi" on social media. "#PM4PM" is the social media hashtag her supporters have been using to show solidarity with her. The elections were announced after Boris Johnson announced his resignation as the prime minister and leader of the UK Conservative Party earlier this month. She also wrote about free speech and free markets. The winner will become the new Tory leader. She emerged winner in a survey published by ConservativeHome, that looked at how Conservative party members would vote for all the candidates in one-to-one contests, a report said. The new UK PM will be announced on September 5.

Sunak Wins First Round of Tory Contest to Succeed Johnson · Former chancellor gets 88 votes, Mordaunt second with 67 · Next ballot of Conservative MPs is ...

'Mordmentum' with little-known ex-defence secretary – who appears to be clear favourite of party members.

Start your Independent Premium subscription today. By clicking ‘Register’ you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use, Cookie policy and Privacy notice. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy policy and Terms of service apply. By clicking ‘Register’ you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use, Cookie policy and Privacy notice. She is also now the bookmakers’ favourite – and landed the support of Tory vice-chair Mike Penning, who quit the post in order to support her. Mr Mordaunt leapfrogged Liz Truss into second place, ahead of a second ballot today, and is also the overwhelming choice of the Tory grassroots who will pick the next leader, according to a bombshell poll.

Scramble is on for Tory hopefuls to pick up the votes of Jeremy Hunt and Nadhim Zahawi, who have been eliminated.

That could all change with the TV debates on Friday and Sunday. With Braverman likely to be eliminated in tomorrow’s vote, the remaining five are set to participate. After the announcement, one ally of the Foreign Secretary described the results unenthusiastically as “solid”. She will have lost votes to Braverman and to Kemi Badenoch, who was only ten votes behind her. One ally of Sunak, the former chancellor, predicted that some survivors may fail to secure the requisite 30 votes tomorrow as MPs focus on the leaders.

The trade minister launched her pitch to be the next prime minister by assuring Conservative MPs she is best placed to keep them their seats.

“Well, they’re very sensible people because I’m a threat to their campaign,” she said, but added that the only people she will take the fight to is the Opposition. She argued that having stood on the same platform as Mr Johnson and other Tories in the 2019 election “we have a mandate and a big majority”. “I’m the candidate that Labour fear the most – and they’re right to,” she told Conservatives and reporters closely crammed into the sweltering room. The long-term Brexit backer said the Government supply side reforms would yield a “Brexit dividend” on investment, infrastructure and innovation. Leadership contender Penny Mordaunt has told Conservative MPs fearful of losing their seats under Boris Johnson that she is the candidate “Labour fear the most”. But she insisted she is “very different” from her would-be predecessor but indicated she would not call an early general election to win her own mandate if she entered No 10.

Onetime Defense Secretary Penny Mordaunt, is emerging as the biggest threat to former Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak's campaign to lead the ...

- Opinion: Putin and the UFO Sightings You may cancel your subscription at anytime by calling Customer Service. Seen as a long shot only days ago, she became the odds-on favorite Wednesday at betting houses in Britain after several polls showed her topping popularity polls with grass-roots Conservative members.

Ex-chancellor and trade minister will face four other candidates in next round of voting by MPs.

We'll send you a myFT Daily Digest email rounding up the latest Conservative Party UK news every morning. Penny Mordaunt on Wednesday discovered the perils of ...

Jeremy Hunt and Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi were both eliminated in the first round of voting among Tory MPs, with former chancellor Rishi Sunak topping the ballot ...

He said: “We will cut taxes and we will do it responsibly. That’s my economic approach. Around 160,000 Tory members will then choose the next party leader and prime minister. Elsewhere, former army officer Tom Tugendhat, who has pledged to boost defence spending, took a thinly-veiled swipe at Mr Sunak’s refusal to set “arbitrary targets” in this area, telling reporters: “We will never put the safety of our country in doubt because of bean counters and spreadsheets. The naval reservist and former defence secretary pledged to return to traditional Conservative values of “low tax, small state and personal responsibility”. Mr Rees-Mogg argued that the Foreign Secretary is “fiscally on the right side of the argument”, unlike Mr Sunak. The minister told Sky News that Ms Truss “opposed the endless tax rises of the former chancellor, which I think have been economically damaging, I also was opposed to (them) in Cabinet”. Ms Mordaunt officially launched her campaign yesterday by telling colleagues who had been fearful of losing their seats under Mr Johnson’s leadership that she is their “best shot” at winning the next election. Ms Dorries, the Culture Secretary, accused the former chancellor’s campaign of deploying “dirty tricks” and backed Ms Truss as the Brexiteers’ candidate. Scottish Tory MP John Lamont, who is backing Ms Mordaunt, said the result of the first round of voting was “promising”. “Everyone in our great country should be born with the same opportunities and be able to know that the town they are born in has opportunity”. Mr Hunt, who failed to get the 30 votes required to get to the next stage, has held the offices of health and foreign secretary and lost to Mr Johnson in the 2019 leadership race.

'I didn't even know where she was,' says ex-negotiator in scathing attack on favourite's Brexit credentials.

Ms Truss has appealed to Brexiteers by claiming she was a “reluctant Remainer” at the 2016 Brexit referendum. “All three of those candidates … are saying very interesting things, things that the country needs to hear. ERG chair Mark Francois is backing Ms Truss, while several other leading figures in the group opt for Ms Braverman. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. The right-wing Tory peer added: “She wasn’t always visible. Sometimes I didn’t even know where she was.

Penny Mordaunt has had a busy week, after officially launching her Conservative leadership bid on Monday. She faced some difficult questions from ...

At the time her appearance on Splash proved controversial. The MP appeared on the show back in 2014ITV The MP appeared on the diving contest in 2014, and now a clip of her belly flopping into a pool in front of millions of viewers has resurfaced online.

Former Brexit minister and other Liz Truss allies hit out at Mordaunt after she came second in first ballot.

“Even if the style is different, the substance will not be very different.” Mordaunt, who had little interaction with the EU during her ministerial career, is not well known in Brussels. Those who have followed her career are not enthused about her moving to No 10. “I’m afraid this became such a problem that after six months I had to ask the PM to move her on and find somebody else to support me. In an interview with the Spectator she suggested tax cuts could be paid for through extra borrowing. She wouldn’t always deliver tough messages to the EU when that was necessary and I’m afraid she wasn’t fully accountable or always visible. “I’m sorry to say this, she did not master the necessary detail in the negotiations last year.

A new poll conducted within the Conservative Party members taken immediately after the announcement of the final candidates for the prime ministerial race ...

Mordaunt's closest competitor head-to-head is Truss, who she defeated by 55 percent to 37 percent. Because the truth is worth it.) MP Kemi Badenoch came second at 15 percent, followed by former Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak, and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, at 13 percent each.

London | Former chancellor Rishi Sunak and Trade Minister Penny Mordaunt have emerged as the front-runners in the race to become the new Conservative party ...

He has won the backing of Tory big-hitters including Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps and Health Secretary Steve Barclay in his campaign for the top job. MPs could re-allocate their votes in a way that some combination of Ms Truss, Ms Mordaunt and former equalities minister Kemi Badenoch make it as the final pair. The new leader will be announced on September 5, after an estimated 175,000 grassroots party members have made their final choice following six weeks of summer hustings. Much will depend on the vote re-allocations and whether the candidates impress their fellow MPs in hustings and televised debates in the days to come. “I can lead, make tough decisions and rise to the moment.” For example, the strongly pro-Brexit caucus of Tory MPs, who have largely been backing Ms Braverman, could yet shift their support to either Ms Truss or Ms Mordaunt to help propel them into the final two.

Tory members predict trade minister will rise to top as former chancellor fails to clinch a high percentage of first round votes.

The first MPs' ballot has left the Conservative leadership race delicately poised. Though Rishi Sunak came first with 88 votes, he's not that far ahead of ...

She’s become the one to stop — and her record as one of the wokest Tories leaves her open to challenge. If I were Mordaunt, the opponent I’d really worry about is Kemi Badenoch — who is famously outspoken in her anti-wokeness. There’s already talk of the Truss, Badenoch and Braverman campaigns merging to provide a united candidate for the Tory Right. Assuming that all the remaining candidates agree to participate, a lot could turn on how well they perform under attack. Firstly, the collapse of the front-runner’s biggest advantage — which is inevitable. There’s some debate as to whether Mordaunt now has the momentum in this contest.

Tories in the British Parliament cast their first-round of votes on Wednesday to pick a candidate to replace outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson as head ...

Sunak promised to confront the difficult economic backdrop with “honesty, seriousness and determination,” rather than piling the burden on future generations. After his elimination from the race, Hunt announced that he was backing Sunak for the position of prime minister. In practice, some lawmakers often retract their candidacy, speeding up the process.

Rishi Sunak topped the first ballot of Tory MPs yesterday with 88 votes ahead of Penny Mordaunt on 67; The trade minister has become the bookies' favourite ...

And I'm afraid this became such a problem that after six months, I had to ask the Prime Minister to move her on and find somebody else to support me.' Mr Sunak also faced questions after failing to land the knockout blow his team had been expecting. However, separate research by Savanta ComRes tonight underlined the challenges Ms Mordaunt would face with the wider electorate. Late July and August - CCHQ will assume responsibility for leadership election and will send out ballot papers to around 200,000 Conservative Party members. 'I think our number one economic priority is to tackle inflation and not make it worse. But of course it doesn't.' The lowest-scoring candidate will be eliminated each time. One source said the rivals should 'recognise the reality of the situation'. Penny Mordaunt (right) performed better than expected in the first round. She has been installed as the bookies' favourite after bombshell polling suggested that she would win head-to-heads against any of her rivals. 'We are at a critical moment for our country,' she said. Ms Truss's team have unveiled ministers Ed Argar, James Heappey and Tom Purseglove as new backers.

Seemingly from nowhere, the Minister of State for Trade Policy has become one of the front-runners in the battle to replace Boris Johnson in September.

Indeed, she's got a strong military background: her father was a parachuter before retraining as a teacher, and she was named after HMS Penelope. She was also a member of the Royal Navy from 2010-2019, and is currently the only female MP who is a Royal Naval Reserve. It is her military knowledge and experience that she hopes might help her get the top job at No 10, particularly in the midst of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. An MP for Portsmouth North since 2010, Penny's first big roles in government were under David Cameron, when she was both Armed Forces Minister and Defence Secretary, becoming the first woman to hold the former role. According to a report published in the Daily Mail earlier this week, only 11 per cent of the public can identify MP Penny Mordaunt when shown a photograph of her.

Analysis: Confident message from MP relatively untainted by association with Johnson seems to resonate with many Tories.

(Hunt has not returned the favour, swinging behind Sunak on Wednesday after winning just 18 votes in the first round). She is a trade minister – but unlike Liz Truss, Rishi Sunak, Suella Braverman or the ill-fated Nadhim Zahawi, did not sit in Boris Johnson’s cabinet, or form part of his inner circle. At her campaign launch on Wednesday, she took plenty of questions and parried them wryly – contrasting with the more senior Liz Truss’s woodenness at her own speech the next day.

Penny Mordaunt closed her gap on frontrunner Rishi Sunak as the race to succeed Boris Johnson at the helm of the U.K.'s governing Conservative Party ...

Johnson is staying on in an interim capacity while the leadership race plays out, and will step aside September 6, after the new leader is confirmed in the job. Truss, who earned the valuable backing of former Brexit negotiator David Frost Thursday, is popular among the Right of the Conservative Party, and both her and Badenoch, a former equalities minister who has run on a free-market, anti-‘woke’ ticket, are well-placed to gather up support from Braverman’s backers. Under Conservative Party rules, MPs get to have the first say on the field of hopefuls, eliminating the lowest-placed candidate in successive rounds of voting before the final two are put to a vote of the wider Tory membership.

Five candidates remain in the battle to succeed Boris Johnson as leader of the UK Conservative Party and Prime Minister, as betting firms adjust their odds ...

The result puts both on course to reach the run-off over the summer -- though the picture can still change -- when grassroots Conservative Party members ...

The Sri Lankan army statement comes in wake of the anti-government protests which continue amid the exit of president Gotabaya Rajapaksa from Sri Lanka. This comes after the military establishment refused acting president Ranil Wickremesinghe's directive to use force on the protesters. A Singapore foreign ministry statement, meanwhile, has ruled out talk of asylum for Gotabaya Rajapaksa. A Singapore foreign ministry statement, meanwhile, has ruled out talk of asylum for Rajapaksa. He might later move to the UAE, sources said. She also said she would cancel a planned rise in corporation tax. He added that he wanted to see tax cuts during this Parliament but declined to say when he thought they would be possible. Accusations of smears and lies between candidates were what the Conservative Party had been seeking to avoid when it came up with rules designed to accelerate the contest. Attorney General Suella Braverman was knocked out, under rules that remove the candidate with the lowest support. Polling shows Mordaunt, whose momentum has built rapidly in recent weeks, prevailing when the winner is announced on Sept. 5. The contest has been marked by growing rancor between rival campaigns. The next ballot is scheduled for Monday.

Trade minister consolidates second place behind Sunak as second vote narrows field to five.

A spokesperson for the campaign said: “Tom is in it to win it. Tugendhat’s campaign said he fully intended to stay in the campaign through the weekend. Tugendhat, the chair of the foreign affairs select committee, said he would continue his campaign and take part in the televised debates starting on Friday.

After being dumped out of the battle, Ms Braverman accused Ms Mordaunt of not standing up for women and of not being an 'authentic Brexiteer'.

Start your Independent Premium subscription today. Ms Braverman added: “My perception of Penny is she takes a different view to me when it comes to gender ideology and the position of trans, for example, I think she said a trans women is a woman, I disagree with that.” Ms Braverman insisted she has “personal friendships with all of the candidates” but acknowledged they all have their “pros and cons” as she weighs up who to back. “I was quite disappointed by the way in which it was handled and the responsible minister I’m afraid didn’t stand up for women and didn’t actually reflect the views of a lot of our party on wanting women to be authentically represented on the face of the Bill and in legislation,” Ms Braverman added. She alleged that Ms Mordaunt “did resist the inclusion of the word woman and the word mother and did only concede after unsustainable pressure from the House of Lords”. After being dumped out of the battle, Ms Braverman accused Ms Mordaunt of not standing up for women and of not being an ‘authentic Brexiteer’.

LONDON — In the zesty but odd and insular contest to replace Boris Johnson as Britain's prime minister, an unlikely figure has emerged among the top ...

She was never in Johnson’s Cabinet and thus isn’t saddled with baggage from his administration they way the others are. At the same time, she can’t point to the same level of experience as Sunak or Truss. The tunes the Tories want to hear, Mordaunt said, included the words: “low tax, small state, personal responsibility. “In her favor, she has an attractive personality, she’s obviously fun, she sounds like a good sport. Yet even in Tory circles, she is something of a vague figure. Her mother died of cancer when Mordaunt was 15. David Frost, a former Brexit minister, launched a scathing attack on the politician who was once his deputy. The race to replace Johnson remains highly uncertain. Frost said, “She wasn’t fully accountable, she wasn’t always visible. Former Labour Party Prime Minister Tony Blair blurbed it: “Uplifting and highly readable.” On the other side of the balance, the thing she has to got to rebut are words like ‘flaky’ or ‘politics at the shallow end.’ She was once a magician’s assistant — you can’t cut the deficit in half.” Early favorites for party leader often go on to flop.

'Questions' follow on MP's past performance as trade minister after she gains ground over Liz Truss.

Mark Harper, the former chief whip who is backing Sunak, said the former chancellor was shaping the debate after a call for an end to “fairy tales” about the economy. Braverman had put withdrawing from the European convention on human rights at the heart of her pitch, and said she would be seeking assurances from other candidates that they would do so. Tugendhat, the chair of the foreign affairs select committee, said he would continue his campaign and take part in the televised debates starting on Friday. Clarke, who chose to back Truss in preference to his boss, Sunak, said: “It is telling, I think, where current members of the government are placing their support. Lord Frost, referring to Mordaunt when she was in effect his deputy during the Brexit talks, told TalkTV: “I’m sorry to say this: she did not master the necessary detail in the negotiations last year. “I was quite disappointed by the way it was handled, and the responsible minister, I’m afraid, didn’t stand up for women.”

After being dumped out of the battle, Ms Braverman accused Ms Mordaunt of not standing up for women and of not being an 'authentic Brexiteer'.

Ms Braverman insisted she has “personal friendships with all of the candidates” but acknowledged they all have their “pros and cons” as she weighs up who to back. She alleged that Ms Mordaunt “did resist the inclusion of the word woman and the word mother and did only concede after unsustainable pressure from the House of Lords”. She indicated she would back the candidate who will “stop illegal migration across the Channel”, and who will deliver “Brexit opportunities”, a “tough line on identity politics” and tax cuts.

LONDON — The surprise favorite to replace Boris Johnson as British prime minister is named after a legendary World War II battleship — the HMS Penelope, ...

She had no press spokesperson in place several days after Johnson quit, and is still in the process of building out a proper campaign team. “She would get through all the work in her ministerial box, and do what she needed to,” the person said. But if Mordaunt does become prime minister, she will need more than a book to introduce herself to the public. It’s no surprise if she wasn’t motivated to do lots of schmoozing and defending Downing Street in the media.” She has earned the nickname “Penny Dormant” among less-than-generous members of her team. “It might turn out that that was a motivation,” the former minister said. “No one knows what she is. One former minister who worked with Mordaunt argued Johnson may have unwittingly set her on course to succeed him when he abruptly sacked her as defense secretary in a “vindictive” act upon taking office in 2019. And she would comfortably beat every one of her likely opponents in that final head-to-head ballot, a series of polls have suggested. She is also the only serving MP known to have worked as a magician’s assistant, albeit in the distant past. “I’m not sure how she got away with it as a minister.” “We need people like you to fight the corner inside.”

One Tory MP is backing Mordaunt for Tory leader due to the bravery she showed in her ill-judged dive on ITV's 'Splash' in 2014.

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Foreign secretary Liz Truss in deep trouble as she trails home in distant third place.

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