Penny Mordaunt expresses confidence in her chances of becoming next UK PM

As the UK Prime Minister Liz Truss announced her resignation, Penny Mordaunt expressed confidence in her chances of becoming the next British Prime Minister. 

While the world waited to find out who would lead the Conservative Party, the cabinet minister Mordaunt said during the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme, “I am very confident about the progress we are making and I will say to you I am in this to win it." 

Furthermore, Penny Mordaunt said that she received the backing of 105 MPs in the most recent leadership election. 

According to the minister, she would keep Chancellor Jeremy Hunt in his post and has discussed his plans for the economy with him. She, however, refused to comment on whether her economic policies would affect the NHS, modify the pensions triple lock, or if benefits should increase in accordance with inflation. 

It is pertinent to mention that Penny Mordaunt is the only candidate to formally declare her candidacy, but with only 23 MPs, she lacks the necessary support.  

In the last contest, Mordaunt positioned herself as the "halfway house" between Liz Truss and former chancellor Rishi Sunak and said she could bring the party together. According to Sky News, she said, "I was a halfway house between Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak and I deeply regret that the debate now is about 'are you for stability or low taxes.”  

Mordaunt added, “That's not the right construct. There are two sides of the same coin. You have to have stability in order to deliver low tax and you have to have low taxes in order to grow the economy and create that stability.” She claimed, “That is what I am standing for. That is why I think I'm best placed to unite our party." Mordaunt further noted that she had not given Boris Johnson her backing in a deal.  

Damian Green supports Penny Mordaunt in the UK PM race

Meanwhile, according to Damian Green, Penny Mordaunt is the only person who can unify the party, although her campaign is currently running behind. 

Green, the Member of Parliament of the United Kingdom, claimed that she has "a lot more" supporters than the 20 or so, who have officially declared their support, but she is still a long way from winning.  

Mordaunt received 105 votes in the most recent MP election in the summer, but it's important to note that prominent figures like David Davis, who supported her previously, did not do so this time. 

After learning that Rishi Sunak and Boris Johnson spoke last night, Green asserted that Penny "doesn't need to do deals." However, given the current state of the polls, it appears that this race will either support the former chancellor or a head-to-head contest between Sunak and Johnson, Sky News reported.  

(Image: AP)