Under Theresa May, Mordaunt took on several more high profile roles: Secretary of State for International Development (2017), Minister for Women and Equalities (2018) and Secretary of State for Defence (2019). When Boris Johnson was elected in December 2019, Mordaunt briefly left government, before returning in a cabinet reshuffle in February 2020.
Penny Mordaunt
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Prior to becoming an MP, she worked as Head of Youth for the Conservative Party under John Major, as well as Head of Broadcasting under William Hague. She also dipped her toe into politics across the pond, working on both George W. Bush’s 2000 and 2004 campaigns in the US. Her varied career has also seen her working in a Johnson & Johnson factory, training as a magician’s assistant, and volunteering at a Romanian orphanage.
Fans of ITV’s diving show Splash! might also recognise Mordaunt: she was a contestant on the 2014 edition, donating her £10,000 appearance fee to four armed forces charities as well as towards the renovation of a local lido.
Other fun facts: she’s related to actress Dame Angela Lansbury, Philip Snowdon, the first Labour Chancellor of the Exchequer, and George Lansbury, a former Labour leader. She’s also a fan of astrology and owns four Burmese cats, and has been married and divorced once, with no children.
