Inside Politics: Mordaunt-mania grips Westminster

Outsider Penny Mordaunt has shaken up the Tory leadership race and plunged the Liz Truss campaign into crisis, writes Adam Forrest

Penny Mordaunt launches her campaign (Stefan Rousseau/PA) (PA Wire)

What a splash Penny Mordaunt has made in the leadership race. The former reality TV star – who backflipped and bellyflopped her way through ITV’s short-lived diving competition – looks like she’s in the Tory contest for the long haul. At a stroke, the socially-liberal Brexiteer has pulled herself into second place behind Rishi Sunak, plunging Liz Truss’ campaign into crisis.

Inside the bubble

Liz Truss finally launches her campaign at 10am. Has she left it too late? The second round of voting in leadership contest is expected to take place from 11.30am to 1.30pm, with results at around 3pm. Nicola Sturgeon will set out her second paper on Scottish independence at 10.40am.

Daily Briefing

Penny for your thoughts, Liz

Penny Mordaunt has emerged as the new favourite to be your next prime minister. She enjoyed a stunning surge in support among Tory MPs and a bombshell poll suggested adoration among party members. Mordaunt came only narrowly second to Rishi Sunak in the first leadership ballot – gaining 67 to his 88.

Team Sunak should be feeling reasonably pleased. The former chancellor can point to his frontrunner status among MPs. And he should also pick up a fair number of the 43 votes left behind by Nadhim Zahawi and Jeremy Hunt (now backing Sunak), who were knocked out on Tuesday afternoon.

But a shock YouGov survey showed that Mordaunt would defeat Sunak by 67 per cent to 28 per cent among party members – a huge margin. If she gets in the final two she trounces all the others in a head to head, except, perhaps Liz Truss. A Mordaunt versus Truss match-up is closer, at 55 per cent versus 37 per cent.

Truss, having been favourite not so long ago, is suddenly fighting for her life. She gained 50 votes, while Kemi Badenoch and Suella Braverman got 40 and 32 respectively. Could the three of them knock their heads together and decide on Truss as flag-bearer of the right?

Braverman looks set to be the next contestant culled during the Tory Hunger Games. But will Badenoch really give way to Truss at this stage? The foreign secretary’s allies were keen to talk up the possibility she could still oust Sunak and make it to the final two.

The European Research Group (ERG) is split between Braverman and Truss. Braverman-backing Brexiteer Steve Baker was keeping quiet on whether he might eventually throw in behind the foreign secretary. But Baker branded Sunak “a loser” and claimed the polls showed “Rishi won’t be PM”.

Foreign secretary Liz Truss is hoping to unite the right of the party (Reuters)

Given up on governing?

Boris Johnson and his ministers have “given up on governing”, according to Labour after Priti Patel decided not to bother turning up to answer questions at a select committee hearing on the role of the home secretary.

And the new health secretary Steve Barclay decided to ignore an urgent question on ambulance services being put on high alert over the Covid surge. “A disgrace”, fumed Labour’s shadow health secretary Wes Streeting.

Have the PM and his ministers given up in the heat? Or are they overcome with a wave of self-loathing? In a bizarre twist, Johnson has decide to stage a no-confidence in his own government on Monday.

Labour had accused the government of “running scared” when its own desired vote of no confidence in Johnson was turned down. But the vote will now take place and invite Tory MPs to express confidence in the government, rather than in Johnson himself.

Johnson used his possibly final PMQs to claim he was leaving with his “head held high”. Could the shamelessly unashamed caretaker at No 10 make a comeback? Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith raised the possibility of Johnson returning “in another guise”. Heaven help us.

On the record

“I have a suspicion that Boris will rise in another guise, and as ever he will probably dominate the news – but I don’t think he will be in a cabinet.”

Iain Duncan Smith says we haven’t heard the last of Boris Johnson.

From the Twitterati

“I’m not saying the heat is getting to the Tory leadership candidates, but one Lib Dem MP claims to have just been canvassed by Liz Truss.”

The Times’ Patrick Macguire on another feverish day at Westminster.

Essential reading

Angela Rayner, The Independent: Boris Johnson is a chaotic caretaker – he should be long gone

Andrew Grice, The Independent: Reckless Tory tax cut pledges will only help Labour

Andrew Marr, New Statesman: The nightmare awaiting the next PM

Katy Balls, The Spectator: Liz Truss on taking on Rishi Sunak