Latest news with #Mordaunt
New European
19-05-2025
- Politics
- New European
Runners and riders gathering in the race to succeed Badenoch
Robert Jenrick is seen as the runaway favourite, but the party's wiser heads fear he would prove just as hopeless in the job as Badenoch. He did, after all, just lose a leadership campaign to her – and when the Tories replaced Liz Truss with Rishi Sunak, who lost to her, it didn't work out too well. As the Conservative Party slips ever further in the polls – and despair at Kemi Badenoch's leadership mounts – conversation naturally turns to who the party might choose once she is inevitably ousted. The party's few remaining moderates believe that Penny Mordaunt still might be their standard-bearer if a seat could be found for the woman who lost Portsmouth North last July. They say she polls favourably even outside of the party's faithful – having become a favourite of centrist dads everywhere after her role in the King's coronation. Mordaunt is such a threat that there is already nasty gossip about her. One story claims she only narrowly avoided a wardrobe malfunction for the ages, having burst out of her distinctive blue gown shortly before the big day, requiring a last-minute repair. And the Tory rumour mill is also sniffy about Mordaunt's generous act of selling said dress in a charity auction, alleging that her final charitable donation seems to be minus the initial cost of the £2,000 Roni dress by Safiyaa. As a result, Tory hopes for a revival are instead pinned on hoping that Boris Johnson might be tempted to return after all – all is forgiven, at least on the blue benches. The minute a super-safe Tory seat comes up at a by-election, expect the comeback talk to start in earnest.
Telegraph
20-04-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Penny Mordaunt leads ‘Yimby' demands to build more homes
Penny Mordaunt is leading 'Yimby' demands for the Conservative Party to commit to building more homes. In her first major intervention since losing her seat at last year's general election, Ms Mordaunt urged Kemi Badenoch, the Tory leader, to 'get policy right' to solve the housing crisis. The former Commons leader will speak next month at the launch of the Conservative Yimby Initiative – a new pressure group set up by Sir Simon Clarke, a former housing secretary. The Yimby (Yes In My Back Yard) movement first originated in California and calls for more house-building while opposing density limits. Sir Keir Starmer has declared that Labour 'is a Yimby party'. Mrs Badenoch has called for more homes to be built, but insisted this must happen 'in the right places', and said supply cannot keep up with current levels of immigration. Speaking to The Telegraph, Mrs Mordaunt said: 'How do you finance the regeneration of the dilapidated eyesore that is holding your high street back when the owner can't afford to and no developer wants to? 'What is the point of great, affordable, shared accommodation for young working people if they are charged five times what they should be in council tax? What can be done to make a desirable development happen when it doesn't deliver a viable return for the developer?' 'Beautiful, ambitious vision' Mrs Mordaunt said there was 'more than one thing that stifles development', adding: 'It is wider than just planning, and it is different in different places. 'Get policy right and not only will you resolve the shortage of good homes but you'll also regenerate high streets, increase disposable income, preserve family housing stock and enable great design. Above all, this is about people having a shared, beautiful, ambitious vision for their community.' Sir Simon, the director of Onward, a the centre-Right think tank, founded the Conservative Yimby Initiative after a collapse in the Tory vote among younger people at the last election. The age at which voters are more likely to become a Tory instead of voting Labour is now 63, while the average age of a first-time buyer hit 36 last year. This is four years higher than at the turn of the century, with one in five buyers now aged 40 or over. Risk of political extinction In a warning to Mrs Badenoch, Sir Simon said the Conservatives risked political extinction unless they committed to a more liberalised housing policy. 'Britain's failure to build the homes we need is punishing young people, and leaving even young professionals living in substandard accommodation which costs the Earth,' he said. 'This is not merely an exercise in policymaking for the Conservatives but a battle for survival and relevance. Almost nobody under 40 voted for us in 2024, and our party will die unless we take a clear lead on home-building again. 'For all Conservatives, it should be utterly unacceptable that the key determinant of whether you can ever hope to own a home in large parts of the UK – especially London and the South East – is whether you have access to the Bank of Mum and Dad. 'That is the opposite of a society based around merit, opportunity and hard work that is the best reason to vote for us.' Last year, Mrs Badenoch predicted that Angela Rayner, the Housing Secretary, would miss her target of building 1.5 million homes in the current Parliament. She said the Government had introduced too much red tape to fulfil Ms Rayner's objective and accused Labour of 'punishing' areas where it believed it did not have support by imposing higher housing targets.
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Penny Mordaunt joins British American Tobacco
Former Conservative cabinet minister Penny Mordaunt is taking up a part-time paid role with British American Tobacco as a member of its "transformation advisory board". Details of the appointment were published on the website of Acoba, the watchdog that provides advice on jobs politicians accept after they leave government. In a letter to Acoba, British American Tobacco said Mordaunt would be "asked to contribute her insights on the topics of tobacco harm reduction". Mordaunt told the watchdog the role would also involve testing the company's strategy "to reduce its combustible products i.e. cigarettes". British American Tobacco has produced some of the world's most famous cigarette brands including Lucky Strike and Rothmans, but in recent years has begun selling vapes. The company says it wants to build "a smokeless world" by moving smokers to smokeless alternatives. It aims to become a "predominantly" smokeless business by 2035. A very quick guide to Penny Mordaunt Tobacco giant sees sunset for US cigarette business How many people still smoke in the UK? All former ministers are expected to seek advice from Acoba (the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments) on any job they want to take up two years after leaving government. The committee considers whether the job could be seen as a reward from a prospective employer for favourable decisions made by the politician when they were in power. It also looks at whether the former minister could have access to insider information. If the committee has concerns, it can advise the politician to delay taking up the job or avoid particular activities while in the role. In its advice letter to Mordaunt, Acoba said the risk that her role with British American Tobacco could be seen as "a reward for your decisions in office" was "limited". It added that Mordaunt had not had access to specific information that would "offer an unfair advantage to British American Tobacco". "It is also relevant that you have been out of office for five months, creating a gap between your access to information in government and your role with British American Tobacco," it added. Acoba noted that Mordaunt had said she would not lobby for the firm, but it advised her to have "no direct engagement with government on behalf of the company as to do so would raise significant risks under the government's rules". During his last months as prime minister, former Tory PM Rishi Sunak introduced the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which would have made it illegal to sell tobacco to anyone born after 1 January 2009. Although Sunak was keen to push the legislation through, many of his Conservative MPs had doubts. Mordaunt herself did not vote on the bill when it came to Parliament. Labour backed the proposals, and since coming into government has reintroduced a similar bill to Parliament. Mordaunt is not the first politician to work for British American Tobacco. After losing the 1997 Tory leadership election, former chancellor Ken Clarke took up a deputy chairmanship with the company. During her time in government, Mordaunt served as a minister in several departments, including the Treasury and the Ministry of Defence. She stood in the 2022 Conservative Party leadership race, but was eliminated in the penultimate round of the contest that was ultimately won by Liz Truss. Had she not lost her seat in Portsmouth North in 2024, she would have been a potential contender to lead her party in opposition. In addition to taking a role with British American Tobacco, Mordaunt is planning to produce and appear in a series of short films about Ukraine, entitled "Do Not Look Away". She is also taking a paid role with Sub Sea Craft Limited, a Portsmouth-based engineering company that produces maritime technology. Mordaunt was approached for comment.
BBC News
10-04-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Ex-minister Penny Mordaunt joins British American Tobacco
Former Conservative cabinet minister Penny Mordaunt is taking up a part-time paid role with British American Tobacco as a member of its "transformation advisory board". Details of the appointment were published on the website of Acoba, the watchdog that provides advice on jobs politicians accept after they leave a letter to Acoba, British American Tobacco said Mordaunt would be "asked to contribute her insights on the topics of tobacco harm reduction".Mordaunt told the watchdog the role would also involve testing the company's strategy "to reduce its combustible products i.e. cigarettes". British American Tobacco has produced some of the world's most famous cigarette brands including Lucky Strike and Rothmans, but in recent years has begun selling company says it wants to build "a smokeless world" by moving smokers to smokeless alternatives. It aims to become a "predominantly" smokeless business by 2035. All former ministers are expected to seek advice from Acoba (the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments) on any job they want to take up two years after leaving government. The committee considers whether the job could be seen as a reward from a prospective employer for favourable decisions made by the politician when they were in power. It also looks at whether the former minister could have access to insider information. If the committee has concerns, it can advise the politician to delay taking up the job or avoid particular activities while in the role. In its advice letter to Mordaunt, Acoba said the risk that her role with British American Tobacco could be seen as "a reward for your decisions in office" was "limited". It added that Mordaunt had not had access to specific information that would "offer an unfair advantage to British American Tobacco". "It is also relevant that you have been out of office for five months, creating a gap between your access to information in government and your role with British American Tobacco," it noted that Mordaunt had said she would not lobby for the firm, but it advised her to have "no direct engagement with government on behalf of the company as to do so would raise significant risks under the government's rules". During his last months as prime minister, former Tory PM Rishi Sunak introduced the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which would have made it illegal to sell tobacco to anyone born after 1 January 2009. Although Sunak was keen to push the legislation through, many of his Conservative MPs had doubts. Mordaunt herself did not vote on the bill when it came to Parliament. Labour backed the proposals, and since coming into government has reintroduced a similar bill to Parliament. Mordaunt is not the first politician to work for British American Tobacco. After losing the 1997 Tory leadership election, former chancellor Ken Clarke took up a deputy chairmanship with the company. During her time in government, Mordaunt served as a minister in several departments, including the Treasury and the Ministry of Defence. She stood in the 2022 Conservative Party leadership race, but was eliminated in the penultimate round of the contest that was ultimately won by Liz she not lost her seat in Portsmouth North in 2024, she would have been a potential contender to lead her party in addition to taking a role with British American Tobacco, Mordaunt is planning to produce and appear in a series of short films about Ukraine, entitled "Do Not Look Away". She is also taking a paid role with Sub Sea Craft Limited, a Portsmouth-based engineering company that produces maritime technology. Mordaunt was approached for comment.
The Guardian
10-04-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Penny Mordaunt takes job advising one of the world's largest tobacco firms
Penny Mordaunt has taken on a new job advising one of the world's biggest tobacco companies on 'harm reduction'. The former Conservative leadership contender, who served in cabinet roles from defence secretary to leader of the House of Commons, will advise the British American Tobacco's 'transformation advisory group' in a paid role, after losing her seat in parliament last year. The former MP abstained on a vote on Rishi Sunak's gradual smoking ban in the early stages of the bill last year, and was in charge of the government's legislative programme when the proposed law did not make it through parliament before the election. Labour had urged the government to defy convention and push through the tobacco and vapes bill even though it was in its early stages when the election was called. It was subsequently brought forward by Labour. Mordaunt's new job was revealed by the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba), which said she should not to lobby the government for two years after leaving office or advise on any public contracts. In its analysis, it said: 'British American Tobacco has a significant interest in government policy and regulation and has resources focused on influencing government decisions – for example lobbying for a reduction in taxes for cigarettes, legislation on vaping and the prevention of counterfeit goods.' The committee said there were only limited risks associated with Mordaunt's access to information that could help British American Tobacco given the change of government and amount of time that had passed. However, it added: 'Whilst you said you will not lobby, there is a risk your former role as a cabinet minister will be seen to offer British American Tobacco unfair access to and influence within government. Therefore, the committee's advice is that you should have no direct engagement with government on behalf of the company, as to do so would raise significant risks under the government's rules.' Anti-smoking campaigners view the claims of tobacco companies that they are working on harm reduction with scepticism given their continued reliance on selling cigarettes. Hazel Cheeseman, chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health (Ash), said: 'While BAT is making 80% of its revenue for the sale of combusted tobacco it is very difficult to see that they are serious in their commitment to reduce the harm from tobacco. The only way to avoid the lethal impact of smoking is not to do it at all, so BAT's share price would be in serious trouble were the smokers of the world able to completely stop overnight. 'They rely, as they ever have, on the fact that they sell a highly addictive product which means that, while many of their customers might want to quit, many never will before smoking kills them.' It is unusual in recent years for former ministers to work for tobacco companies, and several MPs have previously been criticised for taking hospitality from the industry. Ken Clarke, the Conservative former chancellor and health secretary, worked for British American Tobacco from 1998 to 2007. Asked about Mordaunt's appointment, Kingsley Wheaton, the chief corporate officer at BAT, said: 'BAT have launched a manifesto for change … it is founded on the very best tobacco harm reduction (THR) thinking and science. 'To accelerate that ambition, we understand alternative viewpoints that challenge our thinking will maximise success. This THR advisory board is designed to do just that.' Mordaunt was approached for comment.
