Penny Mordaunt has announced she is once again running to be the next leader of the Conservative Party after receiving "encouragement" from her peers. The Leader of the House of Commons, who was the first MP to declare themselves as a contender, on Friday afternoon tweeted: "I've been encouraged by support from colleagues who want a fresh start, a united party and leadership in the national interest.
"I'm running to be the leader of the Conservative Party and your Prime Minister – to unite our country, deliver our pledges and win the next GE." According to a Commons source, Penny held talks with Jeremy Hunt and assured him he can stay on as Chancellor if she becomes Britain's Prime Minister following Liz Truss ' resignation on Thursday.
As of Monday, Ms Mordaunt appears far behind against favourite Rishi Sunak, but allies insist they are "confident" she will hit the target. In the first leadership race of the year over the summer after Boris Johnson was forced to quit, a determined Penny ended up coming in third place - despite being a favourite to win with bookies at the start. But who is Penny?
