Penny Mordaunt is a British politician, who has held the esteemed position of Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Council since September 2022. She is a member of the Conservative Party and has been serving as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Portsmouth North since May 2010.
Early life
Penelope Mary Mordaunt was born on March 4th, 1973, in Torquay, Devon. Her father, John Mordaunt, was a former paratrooper who later became a teacher and youth worker for Hampshire County Council. Her mother, Jennifer Snowden, was a special needs teacher at various Purbrook schools. Penelope claims that her name was inspired by the HMS Penelope, an Arethusa-class cruiser. She is related to Philip Snowden, the first Labour Chancellor of the Exchequer, through her mother’s side of the family. Additionally, her grandmother’s cousin was the actress, Dame Angela Lansbury, making her a distant relative of the former Labour leader, George Lansbury.
Penelope, also known as Penny, grew up with two brothers, a twin named James and a younger brother named Edward. She attended Oaklands Roman Catholic School in Waterlooville, Hampshire and pursued drama at the Victoryland Theatre School. Unfortunately, her mother passed away when she was 15 years old after battling breast cancer. Following this tragic event, Penny became her younger brother Edward’s primary caregiver. The year after her mother’s passing, her father was also diagnosed with cancer, but he thankfully recovered. To support herself through university, Penny worked in a Johnson & Johnson factory and became a magician’s assistant to Will Ayling, a past president of the Portsmouth and District Magic Circle as well as the British Ring of the International Brotherhood of Magicians.
Penny went on to study philosophy at the University of Reading, where she graduated with upper second-class honors in 1995. She is the first person in her family to attend university, despite both of her parents undergoing further education. During her time at the university, Penny was an active member of student politics and even served as the president of the Reading University Students’ Union.
Penny Mordaunt Career
Mordaunt began her career in public relations, working for various sectors after graduation. During Prime Minister John Major’s term, she was appointed Head of Youth for the Conservative Party, followed by two years as Head of Broadcasting under party leader William Hague. She worked for the Freight Transport Association as a communication specialist and briefly as Head of Foreign Press for George W. Bush’s presidential campaign. Mordaunt was Communications Director for the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea before leaving to establish ‘virtual conservatives,’ a new Anglo-American website. From 2004 to 2006, she was a director of Media Intelligence Partners. Mordaunt worked for the Bush campaign again in 2004 and was a director at the Community Fund, which merged with the New Opportunities Fund to create the Big Lottery Fund. She created the Veterans Reunited program, enabling service men and women to visit World War II battlefields and participate in commemorative events.
Mordaunt was selected as the Conservative candidate to contest Portsmouth North in the 2005 general election but lost to the Labour candidate. She was re-elected in January 2006 to contest Portsmouth North at the 2010 general election, which she won with an 8.6% swing from Labour. Mordaunt was re-elected at the 2015, 2017, and 2019 general elections.
Mordaunt was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Decentralisation at the Department for Communities and Local Government by Prime Minister David Cameron in 2014. During her time as Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Decentralisation, she was accused of misleading MPs over assurances given to firefighters by fire authorities regarding their pensions. Mordaunt was appointed Minister of State for the Armed Forces in May 2015, becoming the first woman to hold the post. She was promoted to Minister of State for Disabled People, Work, and Health at the Department for Work and Pensions in July 2016. Mordaunt was then promoted to the Cabinet as Secretary of State for International Development by Prime Minister Theresa May on 9 November 2017 after Priti Patel resigned.
Penny Mordaunt Biography | |
|---|---|
| Real name | Penelope Mary Mordaunt |
| date of birth | March 4, 1973 |
| Age (as of 2023) | 50 years |
| place of birth | Torquay, Devon, England |
| nationality | British |
| job | Politician & Purser General |
| religion | Christianity |
| sun sign | fish |
Physical Statistics | |
| height | in feet inches – 5′ 6” – in centimeters – 168 cm |
| Weight | in kilograms – 62kg – in pounds – 136 pounds |
| Hair color | Brown |
| eye color | green |
| body type | average |
Penny Mordaunt family | |
| father | John Mordaunt |
| mother | Jennifer Mordaunt |
| sister | – |
| Brothers | Two (James & Edward Mordaunt) |
Qualification/Education | |
| school | Oakland’s Roman Catholic School Academy |
| University | university reading |
relationship status | |
| marital status | single |
| Who is Penny Mordaunt’s husband? | Paul Murray (m. 1999; div. 2000) |
| children | Not known |
Personal life
During her time as a student at the University of Reading, Mordaunt crossed paths with Paul Murray, with whom she tied the knot in 1999. However, their marriage came to an end in the following year, resulting in a divorce.
As of 2015, she has been in a committed relationship with Ian Lyon, a successful businessman who also dabbles in classical singing.
Mordaunt has resided in Portsmouth, her hometown, for her entire life. Her interests include a wide range of activities such as stargazing, painting, dancing, and playing music. Additionally, she is a proud owner of four Burmese cats.
Penny Mordaunt Net Worth
A politician and MP, Penny earn an estimated net worth of $6 million from her job in government. Now that she serves as paymaster general, her net worth is expected to increase. She has more than 15 years of experience as a politician, which helps her to make better and wise decisions.
Facts About Penny Mordaunt
- When Penny was 14, her mother died of cancer.
- After graduating, Penny focused on public relations in a variety of fields.
- She worked for two years as head of broadcasting under party leader Williams Hague.
- Before 2000, Penny also worked as a communications specialist for the freight transport associations.
- From 2001 to 2003 she worked as Communications Director for the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.
- Penny became one of the six directors of Charity Diabetes UK in 2006.
- She was the first member of her family to attend university.
- Penny’s twin brother is openly gay.
- Penny has contributed and shown her interest in politics by working in hospitals and orphanages.
- In 2018, an investigation by the Times newspaper found that the allegations against Penny involved misconduct by Oxfam employees following the 2010 earthquake, in which Penny claimed Oxfam was paid €32 million for doing so.