London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Sep 17, 2025

Penny Mordaunt: what her 85 days as defence secretary tell us about her

Penny Mordaunt: what her 85 days as defence secretary tell us about her

Analysis: Tory leader contender was first woman to hold post and is hoping trade and equalities experience will also play in favour

Penny Mordaunt lists her achievements in her 85 days as defence secretary as being the first woman to hold the job – and implementing a pay increase that ensured no serviceman or woman was paid below the living wage.

A note circulated by supporters in her campaign, which has stalled after she lost one vote in the most recent poll, begins with her short time at the Ministry of Defence but relegates her more controversial and simultaneous tenure as equalities minister to sixth on a list of her ministerial jobs.

At defence, her time in office was so brief that aside from getting the job in the first place, the principal highlight is deemed to be the award of an above-inflation pay rise, worth 6% to junior forces personnel.

Mordaunt had little time to leave a mark because she was abruptly sacked in July 2019 by Boris Johnson when he became prime minister. The ousted minister had supported his main rival, Jeremy Hunt, and was replaced by longtime Johnson backer Ben Wallace.

One former MoD source said a complaint from the department was that Mordaunt often focused on her other role as equalities minister, during which time she presented a detailed plan – already voted on in principle by MPs – to extend civil partnerships to opposite-sex couples.

At equalities, between April 2018 and July 2019, Mordaunt lists the release of a gender equalities roadmap, summarising the government’s existing aspirations for women’s rights and opportunities. But she does not list a more controversial 2018 consultation on a possible reform of the Gender Recognition Act, and how it could be made easier to transition.

Leaked documents over the weekend suggested ministers during her time in post had supported the removal of at least one of two medical requirements needed by people to change their gender.

Mordaunt, however, described such claims as “toxic politics” and “smears” fuelled by rivals. Ultimately, no change in policy emerged while Mordaunt was in post, and the idea of reform was ditched by her successor, Liz Truss.

Another ex-senior Whitehall official said she was a minister who “doesn’t have strong views” which was “unhelpful if you want clear high-level direction”. However, they added, she was refreshingly honest about what she knew and what she did not.

Some of this may be described as snobbery. Allies of Mordaunt say she is “competent and good at the dispatch box” and that “the public will warm to her” if she were to get into Downing Street after seeing off her remaining Tory rivals.

The principal crisis during her tenure at defence was the threat posed to western oil tankers by Iran in the Gulf. After she left office, Mordaunt said she had asked the former prime minister Theresa May five times for an emergency Cobra meeting to discuss the worsening situation before one was held.

On the fourth occasion, Mordaunt subsequently told MPs inquiring into the subject that she had made the request in writing so there was an “audit trail”. She feared, she added, a British ship would be seized. A few days later, the Stena Impero, a British-flagged oil tanker, was detained by Iran for two months.

Out of government, Mordaunt supported a campaign to create new emojis to help call out rude or bullying behaviour online. She was then appointed paymaster general in the Treasury in February 2020, and launched a consultation on a post-Covid national resilience strategy.

A list of ministerial achievements says she “rewrote” the strategy, although it has yet to come out, months after the consultation closed last December. A junior trade job followed in September, in which like many other junior ministerial jobs there appeared to be little to do.

Mordaunt has responsibility for negotiating trade agreements with individual US states, helping sign off a deal with Indiana in May. But her boss, the trade secretary, Anne-Marie Trevelyan, accused her on Monday morning of being unavailable to carry out ministerial duties, leaving others to “pick up the pieces” because she been “focused on preparing her leadership campaign”.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Hong Kong Industry Group Calls for HK$20 Billion Support Fund to Ease Property Market Stress
Joe Biden’s Post-Presidency Speaking Fees Face Weak Demand amid Corporate Reluctance
Charlie Kirk's murder will break the left's hateful cancel tactics
Kash Patel erupts at ‘buffoon’ Sen. Adam Schiff over Russiagate: ‘You are the biggest fraud’
Homeland Security says Emmy speech ‘fanning the flames of hatred’ after Einbinder’s ‘F— ICE’ remark
Charlie Kirk’s Alleged Assassin Tyler Robinson Faces Death Penalty as Charges Formally Announced
Actor, director, environmentalist Robert Redford dies at 89
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
JD Vance Says There Is “No Unity” with Those Who Celebrate Charlie Kirk’s Killing, and he is right!
Trump sues the 'New York Times' for an astronomical sum of 15 billion dollars
Florida Hospital Welcomes Its Largest-Ever Baby: Annan, Nearly Fourteen Pounds at Birth
U.S. and Britain Poised to Finalize Over $10 Billion in High-Tech, Nuclear and Defense Deals During Trump State Visit
China Finds Nvidia Violated Antitrust Laws in Mellanox Deal, Deepens Trade Tensions with US
US Air Force Begins Modifications on Qatar-Donated Jet Amid Plans to Use It as Air Force One
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
Elon Musk Retakes Lead as World’s Richest After Brief Ellison Surge
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
Tens of Thousands of Young Chinese Get Up Every Morning and Go to Work Where They Do Nothing
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
The German Owner of Politico Mathias Döpfner Eyes Further U.S. Media Expansion After Axel Springer Restructuring
Suspect Arrested: Utah Man in Custody for Charlie Kirk’s Fatal Shooting
In a politically motivated trial: Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years for Plotting Coup After 2022 Defeat
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
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
×