Penny Mordaunt’s endorsement is a boost for the Truss camp and a crushing blow for Rishi Sunak | Politics News
It’s the endorsement that both contenders desperately want in the battle for the Tory crown.
And potentially the biggest vote winner, statement for Liz Truss so far.
Penny Mordaunt finished second behind Rishi Sunak in all but the last round of MPs voting, before narrowly overwhelmed by Liz Truss in an 11-hour confrontation.
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In the first round, she won 67 votes to 50 for Ms Truss, in the second round 83-64, in the third round 82-71 and in the fourth round 92-86, before she ended up voting only 105 to 113 for Ms Truss.
Now, in a shocking move following the terrible bloodshed between their two factions in a vote of MPs, the former shaman’s aide has sown her steadfastness into the Liz Truss campaign.
In a beautiful play at the Tory compound at the University of Exeter, she climbed to the success of the Truss and almost certainly landed herself a cabinet job if the foreign minister beat Mr. Sunak.
Skeptics would argue that Mrs Mordaunt’s endorsement of Ms Truss would have carried more weight had it come sooner.
But the timing – the day’s ballots were sent to party members – was ideal for Ms. Truss and a blow to Mr. Sunak.
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Inside the hall, the moment when Ms. Mordaunt was introduced as a cheerleader and Ms Truss’ warm-up act was a pure box office hit.
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Penny Mordaunt backed her opponent in the Tory leadership contest against Rishi Sunak
Supporters of the two leadership candidates have been kept under wraps until the meeting begins.
Her support for Ms Truss was a remarkable turning point.
When her top-two campaign got real momentum last month, there were claims that she was the victim of the Truss campaign’s smears and dirty tricks.
Cabinet secretary Simon Case was forced to bow to a request from Ms Mordaunt’s supporters for an investigation after allegations that public servants leaked information to the press to damage her chances in the election. race.
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A favorite among early bookmakers and the darling of party activists according to some polls, she has been attacked for her stance on transgender issues and said her Her points were misrepresented.
Later it was widely reported that she was lazy and “missing” from her job as International Trade Secretary, neglecting her duties because she was plotting a leadership campaign.
At 49 years old, two years older than Liz Truss, Miss Mordaunt was a reservist in the Royal Navy and appeared on a reality TV show called Splash in a swimsuit. Now, she’s made the biggest splash in the Tory leadership campaign.
Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss will take part in a head-to-head debate on Sky News at 8pm on Thursday, August 4 hosted by Kay Burley.
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