Set against the backdrop of Gustav Holst’s anthem ‘I Pledge to You, My Country’, with union jacks and a deep-voiced narrator, the message of Penny Mordaunt’s campaign launch video for the Conservative Party leadership was pure patriotism.
While Mordaunt’s film was ridiculed on social media for its clichéd imagery, it won the hearts of Tory members. One MP supporting her campaign said “never underestimate the power of patriotism in our party”.
As the only major contender for the leadership outside Boris Johnson’s last cabinet, the junior trade secretary was initially seen as an outside bet to be the next prime minister. But the 49-year-old has used her outsider status to appeal to MPs and activists from various wings of the party.
Mordaunt’s homeland is not that of the typical conservative. Born in Torquay, Devon, her mother died of breast cancer when Mordaunt was 15; her father was also diagnosed with cancer during her teenage years. She became a magician’s assistant to help the family.
She also enlisted as a reservist in the Royal Navy, something she did a lot during her political career.
After graduating from the University of Reading, she worked in public relations, including as an aide to the Tory Party under William Hague and George W. Bush’s two successful US presidential campaigns.
Penny Mordaunt in Dominica with Prince Charles as International Development Secretary in 2017 © Victoria Jones/PA
She was elected MP for Portsmouth North in 2010 and quickly climbed the ministerial ladder: her first post came as Local Government Minister in 2014, followed by Armed Forces Minister and Disability Minister.
Mordaunt joined Theresa May’s cabinet in 2017 as international development secretary and was briefly defense secretary in May 2019. Although Johnson retained her in his government, she was demoted to the non-cabinet role of chief of staff salaries before being moved to trade minister last September.
She is one of the most colorful Tory MPs. In 2014, she appeared on the reality TV show Splash!, where celebrities learn the art of scuba diving. The same year she revealed she had given a Parliamentary speech on poultry laced with obscene references, to the delight of MPs.
Unlike other leadership contenders, she is not trying to appeal to the urban electorate. An ally said: “Penny is very much a Middle England man.”
Mordaunt appeals to several wings of the party: she plays on her support for Brexit in the 2016 referendum – she was one of the voices of the Leave campaign – along with her social liberalism and professed love of Britain.
In the first survey of the party’s lowest-ranking members since the race to replace Johnson began, the website ConservativeHome on Tuesday placed Mordaunt as members’ top choice, ahead of other significantly higher-profile contenders.
RN Reservist Sub-Lieutenant Penny Mordaunt in 2014. © Alex Cave/Royal Navy
“Penny’s group was cunning but very successful in going around everyone else and picking up one or two people. She will do very well from this race,” said an MP from a rival leadership campaign.
Paul Goodman, editor of ConservativeHome, said Mordaunt was popular in the party because “ordinary people like the naval design of her arrow”. He added, “she combines being a woman with a military persona. Penny has a direct manner and a suggestion that she will listen to you – a combination that is quite rare and gives her great political reach.’
Much of Mordaunt’s support comes from a 2019 intake of MPs who see Johnson’s departure as a chance to break away from the past. “She would be a fresh start,” said backbencher Duncan Baker. “She is very strong, has impeccable integrity and values.”
James Sunderland, also elected for the first time in 2019, said: “She is no-nonsense, she has no baggage, she is full of integrity and has a vision for the future. She is the candidate that Labor and the SNP would least want to face.’
The odds of her becoming the next prime minister fell significantly on Tuesday. According to bookmaker William Hill, her odds of winning the race have increased from 7/2 to 2/1.
Her campaign is second in terms of endorsements, with 26 MPs, some of them senior figures, publicly backing her. That puts her ahead of Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi, former cabinet minister Jeremy Hunt and Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Tom Tugendhat.
David Davis, the former Brexit secretary and one-time Tory leadership contender who endorsed her on Tuesday, described her as “a woman of incredible integrity” and “high competence”, adding that she would make a clean break with the scandals of the Johnson era.
Penny Mordaunt Leadership Bid Video © Penny Mordaunt/YouTube
Davies added: “She’s fantastic in the House of Commons, but most of all she has a vision for Britain, she’s a patriot and she knows what kind of conservatism she wants to defend. And she’s the person in the group most likely to beat Rishi Sunak, so it’s a great combination.
Little is known about how Mordaunt will drive if he wins the race. In an article for the Telegraph newspaper, she promised to cut taxes with a fiscal rule that saw debt as a percentage of GDP fall over time. She also said fuel duty would be reduced and income tax thresholds for low and middle earners would be raised.
By hitting Johnson, Mordaunt says she doesn’t want her leadership performance to be about her. In her launch video, she said the Tory party “needs to become a little less about the leader and a lot more about the ship”.
For some senior MPs, this is Mordaunt’s biggest flaw. One minister who worked closely with her said: “I’ve worked with her for five years and I still feel like I don’t know what she believes or what she thinks.”
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