Who is Penny Mordaunt? The Tory MP hoping to become…

Who is Penny Mordaunt? The Tory MP hoping to become the next Prime Minister

Penny Mordaunt has thrown her name into the Conservative leadership contest after Liz Truss announced she was quitting as Prime Minister last week.

The Tory MP is up against former Chancellor Rishi Sunak to take over in No 10. She finished third in the last leadership election, failing to receive enough backing from MPs to qualify for the membership vote.

Mordaunt opted to back Truss, and was rewarded with a role in the new Cabinet, taking up the reins as Commons Leader. Her initial bid for the top job triggered some excitement, as colleagues rallied behind a fresh face to lead the Conservatives.

But her dearth of ministerial experience at that stage became a weakness that her rivals sought to exploit, even if she appeared to remain a popular choice among the party membership.

She will now be able to cite her tenure as Commons Leader - albeit short-lived - as she sets her sights on Downing Street once more.

will inevitably be tied to the Truss premiership to some extent, as she served in the Cabinet during the PM's tumultuous period, which saw market chaos at one stage threaten to trigger a financial crisis in the UK.

However, she has hardly been conspicuous in her loyalty, making it clear she believed benefits should rise in line with inflation at the Tory conference earlier this month, despite Ms Truss repeatedly refusing to guarantee the boost.

Here's all you need to know about Penny Mordaunt:

Who is Penny Mordaunt?

Penny Mordaunt appeared on the ITV show the Splash in 2014 (PA)

The 49-year-old has been the MP for Portsmouth North since 2010. She currently has a 15,780 majority in her south coast of England seat. Mordaunt is currently the only female MP in the House of Commons who is a Royal Naval Reservist.

Born in Torquay she went to a Catholic school then went onto study philosophy at the University of Reading. In 2014, she appeared on the ITV reality show Splash where she was paid £10,000.

Mordaunt said £7,000 would go to the renovation of her local lido while the rest went to Armed Forces charities.

What role does she currently hold?

Penny Mordaunt is currently the Leader of the House of Commons. She previously held the role of Minister of State for Trade Policy in Boris Johnson's government since September last year.

Before holding the trade policy post Mordaunt became the first female to hold the Defence Secretary role when she was appointed by Theresa May in 2019. During her time in politics she has also been the International Development Secretary and the Minister for Women and Equalities.