Rishi Sunak set to be UK’s next prime minister | CNN

Penny Mordaunt’s biggest energy and largest weak point are one and the identical: Nobody actually is aware of who she is.

As the only real rival to Rishi Sunak within the ultimate phases of the race to succeed Liz Truss as British prime minister, that’s about to vary.

Being a comparatively unknown lawmaker in Britain’s ruling Conservative Occasion has its benefits. Whereas different members of parliament have struggled to distance themselves from the failure of earlier governments, Mordaunt has been capable of paint herself as one thing of an outsider.

However the reality is that Mordaunt, an MP since 2010, held a lot of ministerial positions earlier than being elevated to protection secretary within the final, painful few months of Theresa Might’s authorities.

Operating on the slogan PM4PM throughout the Conservative management marketing campaign this summer season, Mordaunt promised a return to conventional Tory values: Low taxes, a small state, particular person accountability. 

It practically proved a successful ticket. She secured 105 votes from MPs – solely eight fewer than Liz Truss, who went on to win – however this wasn’t sufficient for her to be put earlier than the social gathering members within the ultimate vote.

If Mordaunt had made it to that stage, she may need been anticipated to carry out properly. A darling of the Tory grassroots, her army background – she is a Royal Navy reservist – and references to Margaret Thatcher have performed properly amongst social gathering members.

In her earlier marketing campaign video, Mordaunt recalled watching a naval process drive sail from her dwelling city of Portsmouth, the place she is now the MP, to the Falklands – the South Atlantic islands that Thatcher went to warfare with Argentina to reclaim. “It taught me that my nation stands as much as bullies,” she stated.

Mordaunt has been criticized previously for her ideological flexibility. On the latest Conservative Occasion convention, she known as Truss’ insurance policies “nice.” Given the implosion of “Trussonomics,” she is going to in all probability should revise her place on that.

She additionally revised her ideas on one other contentious situation. When she was minister for girls and equalities, Mordaunt took a pro-transgender stance, asserting that “trans males are males, trans girls are girls.”

However, beneath strain from the extra socially conservative members of her social gathering, she deserted this stance over the last management election, saying a trans lady couldn’t be thought of a “organic lady” like herself.

These vacillations have led some to query whether or not Mordaunt has an underlying political philosophy – or whether or not she is merely a savvy politician together with her eyes on Quantity 10.