Penny Mordaunt announces her candidacy to succeed Liz Truss


by William James and Elizabeth Piper

LONDON (Reuters) – The day after Liz Truss resigned after a whirlwind term, former British defense minister Penny Mordaunt has announced her candidacy for the post of prime minister of the United Kingdom, becoming the first Conservative MP to to declare oneself.

This is the second time that Penny Mordaunt, 49, has entered the race for the post of head of government. She had finished in third position in the poll organized by the Tories after the resignation of Boris Johnson.

“I am a candidate to be the next leader of the Conservative Party and your Prime Minister, to unite our country, fulfill our commitments and win the next general election,” the former minister wrote on Twitter.

“The support of my colleagues who yearn for a fresh start, a united party and action in the national interest, has encouraged me.”

Penny Mordaunt, rather popular within the Tories, is placed in third position among bookmakers, behind former finance minister Rishi Sunak and ex-Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who are the favorites.

The contenders are working to bring together the 100 and more Conservative MPs needed for their candidacy for the Conservative Party presidency by Monday. The internal ballot will be closed on October 28 and the name of the new head of government will be announced the same day.

This will be the fifth Prime Minister that the British have known in six years.

The stakes are vital for the Tories, who are promised to be defeated by the polls for the legislative elections of 2024.

Boris Johnson, ousted from power a little over three months ago following “Partygate”, is racing in the lead alongside former finance minister Rishi Sunak. A “comeback” cannot be ruled out.

The troublemaker could, however, have difficulty collecting his sponsorships after a three-year mandate marred by scandals.

Rishi Sunak, a former Goldman Sachs analyst who became finance minister at the time of the pandemic and an unfortunate rival to Liz Truss in the party’s previous leadership election in August, remains deeply unpopular with some conservatives for having worked to the rebellion against Boris Johnson within the party.

(Written by Elizabeth Piper, with contributions from Muvija M and Sachin Ravikumar Toby Chopra, French version Diana Mandia and Camille Raynaud, editing by Sophie Louet and Tangi Salaün)



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