Only a tenth of the voters could give the correct name Penny Mordaunt when they see a photo of the Tory leadership candidate – while some even mistook her for a singer Adeleaccording to a survey.
The Commerce Secretary has surprised many Westminster observers by becoming the second-placed candidate in the contest to replace Boris Johnson†
Ms Mordaunt was supported by 67 Tory MPs in a first round of voting today as the party seeks a new leader to replace the outgoing Prime Minister.
This only put her behind the frontrunner Rishi Sunak in the battle to win the support of the Tory parliamentary party.
But despite the growing momentum among MPs, Ms Mordaunt appears to have done her job of making herself known to the public and even conservative voters.
A new Savanta/ComRes poll found that only 11 percent of the public could correctly name Ms Mordaunt when shown a photo of the 49-year-old.
When looking only at the reactions of those who supported the Tories in the 2019 general election, the proportion that Ms. Mordaunt could name rose to just 16 percent.
Penny Mordaunt was backed by 67 Tory MPs in a first round of voting today as the party seeks a new leader to replace Boris Johnson
When people received a photo of Ms. Mordaunt as part of a survey, two of them said it was singer Adele. used to be
A new Savanta/ComRes poll found that just 11 percent of the public saw Ms Mordaunt . could call correctly
Unsurprisingly, her closest rivals in the Tory leadership contest — ex-Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Secretary of State Liz Truss — were much more well-known to the public than Ms. Mordaunt.
Mr Sunak, who until last week was the head of the finance ministry and who led the government’s economic response to the Covid crisis, was recognized by two-thirds (66 percent) of the public.
Only among conservative voters did this rise to 77 percent.
Ms Truss, who has taken on one of the leading roles in Britain’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, was recognized by a third (33 percent) of the public, rising to 45 percent only among Conservative voters.
In the survey, respondents were shown the official parliamentary portrait of the Tory leadership candidates and had to answer: ‘Who is this person?’
They were also given the ‘don’t know’ option.
Chris Hopkins, director of political research at Savanta/ComRes, revealed that when people saw a photo of Ms. Mordaunt, two of them said it was singer Adele.
Mr. Hopkins also revealed that another respondent said the answer was ‘Penelope Mordaunt (wonderful)’.
The survey was conducted between Friday and Sunday, asking 2,208 British adults for their answers.
They were asked to identify the 11 confirmed or notorious Tory leadership candidates widely anticipated in this week’s contest.
The field of candidates has now been slimmed down to six after today’s first ballot among MPs.
The Commerce Secretary has surprised many Westminster observers by becoming the second-placed candidate in the Tory leadership contest
Ms Mordaunt enjoys the support of senior Brexiteers such as Dame Andrea Leadsom (pictured) and David Davis
Ms Mordaunt, who has previously held two cabinet positions, was furious this morning at the lack of public awareness of her when she held a campaign event in Westminster.
She was also questioned about a description of her as ‘Theresa May with bigger hair’.
“I’d like to get to know you all better and I hope I get the chance to do that,” she replied, ignoring the whining about her haircut.
The Portsmouth North MP, a Royal Navy reservist, was born in Devon and has previously told MPs how she was named after HMS Penelope – the first cruiser capable of making a full turnaround within her own length.
She has two brothers, one of whom is her twin sister. Her mother died of breast cancer when Mrs. Mordaunt was 15.
Earlier in her life, she worked in a factory and also as a magician’s assistant—who saw her cut in half in hotel ballrooms—while taking a gap year in hospitals and orphanages in Romania in the wake of the 1989 revolution.
She studied at the University of Reading and worked for the Conservative Party under John Major and William Hague, taking a job with the Freight Transport Association.
Mrs. Mordaunt also had a spell that worked on George W. Bush’s presidential campaign.
She was first elected to parliament in the 2010 elections and became Armed Forces Minister after the 2015 elections.
A year before her appointment as minister, Ms Mordaunt, who is divorced, was a reality TV contestant on the Tom Daley-fronted diving show Splash!.
She is a committed Brexiteer and played a prominent role in the Vote Leave campaign ahead of the 2016 EU referendum.
In 2019, she became the first woman to be previously appointed as Defense Minister was fired from the role by Mr Johnson shortly after he became Prime Minister in 2019.
Some saw her resignation as punishment for Ms Modaunt’s support for Mr Johnson’s rival Jeremy Hunt in the 2019 Tory leadership match.
Before taking on the defense assignment, Ms Mordaunt previously served as Secretary of State for International Development under Theresa May.
She counts actress Angela Lansbury among her relatives.
Ms Mordaunt supported Mr Johnson’s rival Jeremy Hunt in the 2019 Tory leadership match
A year before her appointment as minister, Ms. Mordaunt was a reality TV contestant on the diving show Splash!
The 49-year-old was first elected to parliament in the 2010 elections and became Armed Forces Minister after the 2015 elections
Ms Mordaunt’s campaign for Tory leadership got off to a rocky start over the weekend when she was forced to hit back at critics who tried to portray her as ‘awake’.
She was accused of being “a committed fighter for the trans lobby,” while detractors focused on her earlier claim that “trans women are women.”
Ms Mordaunt insisted she had “fought for women’s rights all my life” while dismissing the criticism.
The official announcement of her candidacy also made headlines for all the wrong reasons when her campaign launch video was unveiled featuring footage of murderer Oscar Pistorius.
A clip of the former Paralympic fighter, now a convicted murderer, from London 2012 was quickly deleted.
But despite the early setbacks, Ms. Mordaunt has quickly gained momentum as the Tory leadership contest heats up.
She is the clear favorite of the Tory membership according to several other polls showing she could beat Mr Sunak in a final round.
At her packed campaign launch this morning in Westminster – where seats were adorned with flyers featuring her face – Ms Mordaunt referred to her background as a reservist in the Royal Navy.
She vowed to return to the traditional conservative values of “low taxes, small state and personal responsibility.”
Ms Mordaunt also tried to win over MPs by offering them ‘social capital pots’ to spend in their constituencies.
It was her continued efforts to push back critics of her trans comments that earned her the loudest applause.
“I think it was Margaret Thatcher who said ‘Every Prime Minister needs a Willie’. A woman like me doesn’t have one,” she said.
Ms. Mordaunt warned other hopeful Tory leaders that they are correct in considering her a “threat to their campaign.”
Her campaign has the support of senior Brexiteers such as Dame Andrea Leadsom and David Davis.