Rishi Sunak's next big rival: Who is Penny Mordaunt and can she be UK's next PM?

Liz Truss has only been Prime Minister of the United Kingdom for a short time: 45 days to be exact, thereby making her stint the shortest in British history. 

Following Liz Truss' resignation, Rishi Sunak and Penny Mordaunt, two candidates in Britain's previous leadership election this year, are said to be the potential ones to take up the country’s top job.

Who is Penny Mordaunt?

Mordaunt was born in Torbay, Devon, on March 4, 1973. She was given the name Penelope in honour of the Arethusa-class cruiser HMS Penelope, whose father was a former paratrooper. Her mother worked as a special needs teacher at many Purbrook schools. She is related to Philip Snowden, the first Labour Chancellor of the Exchequer. She is distantly related to the former Labour leader George Lansbury because Dame Angela Lansbury was her grandmother's cousin.

When she was 15, she lost her mother due to breast cancer and took on the responsibility of her two brothers. The next year, her father was also afflicted with cancer.

In terms of educational qualification, Mordaunt studied philosophy at the University of Reading and earned an upper second-class honours degree in 1995. She was also the first person in her family to attend college. Mordaunt was the president of the Reading University Students' Union and an active member of the student body.

After graduating from high school, Mordaunt worked in a Romanian orphanage. She attributes her interest in politics to the 1989 revolution in that nation. While in college, she helped out as a magician's assistant to help pay for some of her expenses.

Early positions included serving as a press representative for the late Conservative Party leader William Hague and as the head of the foreign press for George W. Bush's successful reelection bid in the United States in 2000.

Mordaunt won a seat in parliament for Portsmouth North in 2010 and quickly was appointed a minister. She was appointed to her first position in local government in 2014, then she served as minister for the armed forces and minister for people with disabilities.

She was appointed to Theresa May's cabinet in 2017 as the minister for international development, but her time in that position lasted just 85 days before Boris Johnson fired her, allegedly for supporting Jeremy Hunt in his leadership bid. In February 2020, Johnson finally reinstated Mordaunt in his position as prime minister.

Mordaunt was appointed as the first female Secretary of State for Defence on May 1, 2019, after the removal of Gavin Williamson. Mordaunt launched an unsuccessful bid to become the next Conservative leader and, as a result, UK Prime Minister in July 2022. Mordaunt was appointed Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Council on September 6, 2022. She presided over King Charles III's accession ceremony as Lord President of the Council.

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Also read: Liz Truss resigns as UK PM; Rishi Sunak not yet confirmed to succeed