Since 2021, British politician Penelope Mary Mordaunt FRSA has held the position of Minister of State for Trade Policy. She has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Portsmouth North since 2010 and is a member of the Conservative Party.
She served in Theresa May’s Cabinet as Secretary of State for International Development from 2017 to 2019, then from May to July 2019, she served as Secretary of State for Defense.
Mordaunt read philosophy at the University of Reading, before working in the public relations industry. She held roles within the Conservative Party under party leaders John Major and William Hague, and also worked for George W. Bush’s presidential campaigns in 2000 and 2004.
Following Theresa May’s appointment as Prime Minister, Mordaunt was appointed Minister of State for Disabled People, Work, and Health. In 2017, following the resignation of Priti Patel, she was appointed Secretary of State for International Development. She also served as Minister for Women and Equalities from 2018 to 2019.
In the February 2020 reshuffle, she re-entered government as Paymaster General. In the 2021 reshuffle, she was appointed Minister of State for Trade Policy.
In July 2022, Mordaunt is running in the leadership race to become the leader of the Conservative Party and the next prime minister.
Photos of Young Penny Mordaunt
