London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 11, 2025

Penny Mordaunt denies deal talks with Boris Johnson team

Penny Mordaunt denies deal talks with Boris Johnson team

Conservative leadership hopeful Penny Mordaunt has described reports she has offered Boris Johnson's team her support in exchange for a prominent position as "completely false".

Speaking to the BBC, Ms Mordaunt insisted she was "in it to win it" and wasn't "contemplating how the other camps are organising themselves".

The Commons leader avoided detailing her approach to public spending.

However, she said it was "critical" to rebuild stability.

Ms Mordaunt was the first MP to declared her intention to run in the race to replace Liz Truss as Conservative leader and prime minister.

However, only 24 MPs have publicly come out to support her - and she needs 100 by 14:00 BST on Monday to remain in the contest.

The MP for Portsmouth North is currently lagging behind former chancellor Rishi Sunak who, according to the BBC's tally, has 146 backers and Mr Johnson, who has yet to officially declare, on 57.

Later on Sunday, her supporters dismissed the idea of her backing Mr Johnson in the leadership contest.

Amid claims Mr Johnson asked her to drop out and support him earlier on Sunday, a former minister backing Ms Mordaunt said: "Penny has huge admiration for Boris's achievements but she doesn't see how he can in any way bring the stability we now urgently need".

Appearing earlier on BBC One's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme, Ms Mordaunt was asked about her relative lack of support.

She replied she was "very confident" about her progress, and pointed out that during the last leadership contest in the summer, she secured endorsements from 105 MPs, before being knocked out by Ms Truss and Mr Sunak. She said many of those MPs were returning to support her again.

She was then asked about her time in government with Ms Truss, and said that the prime minister - who announced her resignation on Thursday - had been "right to focus on growth".

But Ms Mordaunt said that she personally regretted the mini-Budget, which triggered economic turmoil. She said it was now "absolutely critical" to rebuild stability, and repeated her pledge to keep Jeremy Hunt on as chancellor.

Mr Hunt, who has warned of tax rises and spending cuts, is due to give a statement on the economy on 31 October.

Ms Mordaunt said that if she became prime minister the statement would go ahead - but refused to be drawn on the details of that package.

On possible cuts to the health service, she said the government would have to make "efficiency savings" but added that she would protect the "services people need".

She said that during the first leadership campaign she had recognised the need to support people through "a very difficult winter" in ways that would not exacerbate inflation such as "targeted and measured tax cuts".

Appearing on the same programme, former foreign secretary Dominic Raab - who is backing Rishi Sunak - was asked if a deal had been reached between his chosen candidate and Mr Johnson.

He replied: "I don't think there's any issues around deals here and that's not the right way to proceed."

He added: "What they did have was a very good conversation about the need for unity."


Watch: Penny Mordaunt says PM race isn't about Boris Johnson


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Court Staff Cover Up Banksy Image of Judge Beating a Protester
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
Elon Musk Poised to Become First Trillionaire Under Ambitious Tesla Pay Plan
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
Burning the Minister’s House Helped Protesters to Win Justice: Prabowo Fires Finance Minister in Wake of Indonesia Protests
Brazil Braces for Fallout from Bolsonaro Trial by corrupted judge
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
Nearly 40 Years Later: Nike Changes the Legendary Slogan Just Do It
Generations Born After 1939 Unlikely to Reach Age One Hundred, New Study Finds
End to a four-year manhunt in New Zealand: the father who abducted his children to the forests was killed, the three siblings were found
Germany Suspends Debt Rules, Funnels €500 Billion Toward Military and Proxy War Strategy
EU Prepares for War
BMW Eyes Growth in China with New All‑Electric Neue Klasse Lineup
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
US and Taiwanese Defence Officials Held Secret Talks in Alaska
Report: Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission in North Korea Ordered by Trump in 2019 Ended in Failure
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Florida Murder Case: The Adelson Family, the Killing of Dan Markel, and the Trial of Donna Adelson
×