minister of commerce Penny Mordaunt faced accusations last night that she was a ‘part-time’ minister as she faced a stunning three-pronged onslaught from rival campaigns.
In addition to her work ethic being questioned, she also faced renewed criticism for being so woke up†
And Tory MP Steve Baker targeted his fellow Brexit for staying in cabinet Theresa May fought for her fateful deal with Europe.
A source at the Department for International Trade, where she works, yesterday labeled her “part-time Penny” for an allegedly lax approach to her work. “Penny is often missing at crucial moments,” said the source.
“It feels like she’s been part-timer and clearly has focused most of her effort on preparing for a leadership campaign rather than day-to-day work.”
Penny Mordaunt faced accusations last night that she was a ‘part-time’ minister and criticized for being too awake
The source said Miss Mordaunt is responsible for US state-to-state trade deals, but when the UK signed its first with Indiana, she did not travel to attend the ceremony.
Instead, she ignored the signing ceremony to promote her book Greater: Britain After The Storm at the Hay Literary Festival.
Miss Mordaunt is also accused of refusing to attend a World Trade Organization summit on Ukraine, where members took steps to support Ukraine, because it was on a Sunday.
But a source close to Miss Mordaunt said, “Penny takes her duties very seriously…No one would believe Penny took down tools or would find the timing of this story surprising.”
The latest criticism follows allegations from rivals that she pushed through a bill replacing the word “woman” with “pregnant person.” And they claimed parts of her book contained barbs on classic British TV shows and movies — allegations her team furiously denies.
Mordaunt’s campaign said it wasn’t true that she insisted on including the term “pregnant person” — or that she didn’t like Dad’s Army.
While she was a minister in the cabinet, Miss Mordaunt introduced a bill to allow ministers to take maternity leave. The emergency law was introduced when Suella Braverman – now one of her rival leaders – was due to have her second child, as cabinet ministers were not allowed to take time off from giving birth.
Ms Mordaunt’s opponents say the expression ‘pregnant people’ was not replaced by ‘mothers-to-be’ until members of the House of Lords demanded that women be recognised. Miss Mordaunt claims it was she who made the decision to change the legislation, but Mrs Braverman questioned this.
Former Brexit Secretary David Davis said: ‘During the big showdown at Checkers, she was both brave, she was on the Brexit side and she was the most effective person who took part.’
In a statement, she said: “Instead of being an undisputed celebration of women in the workplace taking their jobs, this bill was hijacked for trans activists who insisted that I be called a ‘pregnant person’, and not what I was and am – a mother.
“To this day I don’t know why those responsible for unnecessarily delaying the bill’s progress until the week of my due date did so. However, it was clear that an indulgence to extremism was responsible.’
Miss Mordaunt wrote a book last year with Chris Lewis, a pro-Remain writer, in which she commented on several British films and TV programmes. In the book, she said David Lean movies like Great Expectations promote the idea that “the past was so much better.”
“The obsession with the past continues today on TV, with Downton Abbey… and The Crown as remarkable examples of pink-tinged, revisionist, retro representation,” she said.
She also commented on the “nostalgic focus” of “jagged” sitcoms such as Dad’s Army, claiming that the series It Ain’t Half Hot, Mum “contained a full-house bingo card of… casual racism, homophobia, white privilege, colonialism, transphobia, bullying, misogyny and sexual harassment’.
Mr Baker, who supports Mrs Braverman, said on Miss Mordaunt’s LBC: ‘She would be a Brexiteer. And when I was bruised… Penny was sitting in the cabinet with the others.
They could have stepped down, they could have made a difference and they chose to stay in cabinet and vote for a deal that would have destroyed the Conservative Party.
“She made the wrong big strategic decision. And she didn’t fight for what she believed in.’
But former Brexit secretary David Davis, who supports Ms Mordaunt, said: ‘In the big showdown at Checkers, she was both brave, on the Brexit side and the most effective person to take part.’