Penny Mordaunt

The Right Honourable Penny Mordaunt MP
Official portrait, 2022
Leader of the House of Commons Lord President of the Council
Incumbent
Assumed office 6 September 2022
Prime Minister	Liz Truss Rishi Sunak
Preceded by	Mark Spencer
Secretary of State for Defence
In office 1 May 2019 – 24 July 2019
Prime Minister	Theresa May
Preceded by	Gavin Williamson
Succeeded by	Ben Wallace
Secretary of State for International Development
In office 9 November 2017 – 1 May 2019
Prime Minister	Theresa May
Preceded by	Priti Patel
Succeeded by	Rory Stewart
Minister for Women and Equalities
In office 30 April 2018 – 24 July 2019
Prime Minister	Theresa May
Preceded by	Amber Rudd
Succeeded by	Amber Rudd
Junior ministerial offices Minister of State for Trade Policy In office 16 September 2021 – 6 September 2022 Prime Minister Boris Johnson Preceded by Greg Hands Succeeded by Conor Burns Paymaster General In office 13 February 2020 – 16 September 2021 Prime Minister Boris Johnson Preceded by Oliver Dowden Succeeded by Michael Ellis Minister of State for Disabled People, Work and Health In office 15 July 2016 – 9 November 2017 Prime Minister Theresa May Preceded by Justin Tomlinson Succeeded by Sarah Newton Minister of State for the Armed Forces In office 11 May 2015 – 15 July 2016 Prime Minister David Cameron Preceded by Mark François Succeeded by Mike Penning Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government In office 14 July 2014 – 11 May 2015 Prime Minister David Cameron Preceded by Nick Boles Succeeded by James Wharton
Member of Parliament for Portsmouth North
Incumbent
Assumed office 6 May 2010
Preceded by	Sarah McCarthy-Fry
Majority	15,780 (34.4%)
Personal details
Born	Penelope Mary Mordaunt (1973-03-04) 4 March 1973 (age 51) Torquay, Devon, England
Political party	Conservative
Spouse	Paul Murray ​ ​ (m. 1999; div. 2000)​
Alma mater	University of Reading (BA)
Signature
Website	pennymordaunt.com
Military service
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Branch/service	Royal Navy
Years of service	2010–2019[1]
Rank	Acting Sub-Lieutenant (Honorary Captain)
Unit	Royal Naval Reserve
Penny Mordaunt's voice Mordaunt comments on her appointment as Secretary of State for International Development Recorded 10 November 2017

Penelope Mary Mordaunt (/ˈmɔːrdənt/; born 4 March 1973) is a British politician who has served as Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Council since 2022. A member of the Conservative Party, she has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Portsmouth North since the 2010 general election. She has run twice for the Conservative party leadership in July–September and October 2022, losing to Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak respectively.

Mordaunt read philosophy at the University of Reading, before working in the public relations industry. She held roles under Conservative Party leaders John Major and William Hague, and also worked for George W. Bush's presidential campaigns in 2000 and 2004. Mordaunt was elected to the House of Commons at the 2010 general election. Under the coalition government of David Cameron, she served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Decentralisation from 2014 to 2015. After the 2015 general election, Cameron promoted her to Minister of State for the Armed Forces, the first woman to hold the post. Mordaunt supported Brexit in the 2016 referendum on EU membership. Following Theresa May's appointment as Prime Minister, Mordaunt was appointed Minister of State for Disabled People, Work and Health. In 2017, following the resignation of Priti Patel, she was appointed Secretary of State for International Development. She also served as Minister for Women and Equalities from 2018 to 2019.

In May 2019, Mordaunt was appointed to the Cabinet position of Secretary of State for Defence, replacing Gavin Williamson, becoming the first woman to hold the post. She served as Defence Secretary for 85 days before returning to the backbenches, having been removed from office by the new Prime Minister Boris Johnson. In the February 2020 reshuffle, she re-entered government as Paymaster General. In the 2021 reshuffle, she was appointed Minister of State for Trade Policy.

Following Johnson's announcement in July 2022 that he would resign as Leader of the Conservative Party and Prime Minister, Mordaunt entered the leadership contest to succeed him, but was eliminated in the final round of voting among Conservative MPs and subsequently endorsed Truss. Mordaunt was appointed as Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Council when Truss became Prime Minister. Following Truss's resignation on 20 October 2022, Mordaunt made a second bid to become Conservative leader and Prime Minister. She pulled out of the election after being unable to gain the necessary endorsement of 100 MPs, allowing Sunak to become Conservative Leader and Prime Minister unopposed. Sunak later retained Mordaunt in his cabinet, continuing as Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President, giving her a role at the coronation of Charles III and Camilla.