PENNY Mordaunt wowed a worldwide audience when she held the sword at the King’s Coronation but the latest polling suggests she could one day wear the Tory crown.
The Prime Minister revealed to the Sunday Express that he intends to serve a full term in Number 10 if he pulls off an election win.
But if does step down, Ms Mordaunt is in a strong position to succeed him.
Exclusive polling by WeThink shows that although a narrow majority of voters (52 per cent) do not know whom they want to see at the top of the party, when these were excluded Ms Mordaunt is the choice of 39 per cent of British adults and half of Tory supporters.
An ally said: “When other big names, even those who are responsible for this mess, are going into hibernation, she’s keeping the party alive – fighting tooth and nail for what’s left of our electoral chances.”
Business and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch has been seen as the bookies’ favourite to be the next Tory leader but she is backed by just 10 per cent of those polled and eight per cent of Conservative supporters.
Security minister Tom Tugendhat was the choice of just four per cent, and only seven per cent said they wanted to see someone else in the top role.
Ms Mordaunt’s biggest challenge may be securing re-election to Parliament. She won her Portsmouth North seat in 2019 with a majority of 15,780 but Labour aims to oust her.
She is considered one of the strongest public speakers in the Tory party. During the first of the seven-way television debates, the former Navy reservist strongly criticised the PM’s decision to leave the D-Day commemorations in Normandy early, saying it was “completely wrong”.
An ally praised her as a “team player”, saying: “Look at what she’s doing even now to defend the party’s record and help colleagues keep their seats. I think the ‘Penny’ is finally starting to drop for many of us – she’s the leader we need.”
A local Tory supporter said: “Her no-nonsense approach and sheer energy in the debates has gone down very well. She’s seen as someone who’s honest, approachable and in touch.”
