Penelope Mary "Penny" Mordaunt (/ˈmɔːrdənt/; born 4 March 1973) is a British former Conservative politician who served as Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons from 2022 until 2024.

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.

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 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 notable role at the coronation of Charles III and Camilla.

In the 2024 general election, Mordaunt was one of many high-profile Conservative members of parliament who lost their seats in Labour’s landslide victory, alongside Liz Truss, Grant Shapps, Jacob Rees-Mogg and Johnny Mercer.

[8] Her father, John Mordaunt, born at Hilsea Barracks, served in the Parachute Regiment before retraining as a teacher, and later became a youth worker for Hampshire County Council.

[16] Mordaunt was 15 when her mother died of breast cancer and after leaving school, she became her younger brother Edward's primary caregiver.

[17] Mordaunt has attributed her interest in politics to her experiences whilst working in hospitals and orphanages of Romania in the aftermath of the 1989 revolution.

[22][15] Lord Moylan, who was Deputy Leader of Kensington and Chelsea Council where Mordaunt was hired as a Director of Communications, said: "We had to get rid of her after a few months because she was incompetent.

[27] A critic of women-only shortlists,[28][29] Mordaunt worked after the 2005 election as chief of staff for David Willetts's aborted leadership campaign.

[41] Mordaunt was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Decentralisation at the Department for Communities and Local Government by Prime Minister David Cameron in the 2014 cabinet reshuffle.

Mordaunt was promoted to the Cabinet as Secretary of State for International Development by Prime Minister Theresa May on 9 November 2017, after Priti Patel resigned.

[46] In February 2018, an investigation by The Times newspaper revealed allegations of misconduct by Oxfam staff operating in Haiti, in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake.

Mordaunt argued that Oxfam, which had received £32 million in Government funds in the previous financial year, had failed in its "moral leadership" over the scandal.

Mordaunt felt it was important for aid organisations to report offences because she suspected that there were paedophiles "targeting" the charity sector in order to carry out predatory activities.

[49] In March 2019, she was criticised in a newspaper article by Maya Forstater, who claimed she had not answered to Mumsnet users' satisfaction questions on sex and gender during a webchat held on International Women's Day.

[51] After Boris Johnson was elected Conservative Leader and appointed prime minister, he sacked Mordaunt as Defence Secretary, thus she left the Government on 24 July 2019.

[60] During a debate in the House of Commons, Mordaunt deputised for Liz Truss to receive questions from Leader of the Labour Party Sir Keir Starmer.

After Truss resigned and was succeeded by Rishi Sunak a month later, Mordaunt remained Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Council.

[63] Mordaunt's outfit and overall performance in carrying the heavy Sword of State went viral online,[64] receiving praise from both benches of the Parliament.

During the election campaign, Mordaunt attended a BBC debate hosted by Mishal Husain which took place on 7 June, and also included Nigel Farage, Carla Denyer, Rhun ap Iorwerth, Daisy Cooper, Stephen Flynn and Angela Rayner.

Mordaunt was one of many high-profile Conservative politicians who lost their seats in Labour’s landslide victory, alongside Liz Truss, Grant Shapps, Jacob Rees-Mogg and Johnny Mercer.

[74][75] An early promotional video published by her campaign attracted criticism for featuring footage of former professional sprinter Oscar Pistorius, who murdered his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in 2013.

"[83] The Spectator noted Mordaunt's earlier stance on trans issues, and was critical of what it called her "cowardice" in changing her publicly stated views, being "willing to toss them overboard at her earliest convenience" during her leadership campaign.

[87] On 20 July, Mordaunt was eliminated from the fifth round of the leadership competition after failing to secure sufficient support from Conservative MPs.

[88] Following the resignation of Truss during the October 2022 government crisis, Mordaunt declared she would seek nomination in the ensuing Conservative Party leadership election.

[1] From 2010 until 2015, she served as an acting sub-lieutenant (a subordinate officer without a commission), and was based at shore establishment HMS King Alfred on Whale Island, Portsmouth.

"[108] In June 2020, Mordaunt produced a proposal for a pair of ships with the primary role of specialising in trade, research, and humanitarian work.

[117][118] In 2016, she ended her relationship with businessman Ian Lyon, a part-time classical singer and Portsmouth City Council Councillor.