As the repercussions from the contentious Conservative leadership contest spilled over into the Commons, Penny Mordaunt takes an extraordinary shot as her party’s leader while sitting next to her.
After losing in the fifth round of voting yesterday, Ms. Mordaunt went back to her day job as a minister of international trade and slammed Anne-Marie Trevelyan.
The International Trade Secretary criticized Ms. Mordaunt this week for her work ethic after supporting opponent Liz Truss in the leadership race.
Other ministers have occasionally “picked up the pieces,” according to Ms. Trevelyan, because Mordaunt “hasn’t been accessible.”
And it’s obvious that the comment offended. At international trade questions this morning, Ms. Mordaunt responded to a query from her ally Andrea Leadsom by saying, “I am sort of astonished to find myself here this morning given my reported work ethic.
” But I am present.
After Labour criticized the Department for International Trade for making a “really disgusting attempt” to “dodge any form of scrutiny” on the UK-Australia free trade agreement, Ms. Mordaunt took another shot at Ms. Trevelyan.
Ruth Cadbury, a shadow trade minister, claimed the department had “swerved” eight invitations to appear before the Commons International Trade Committee and had refrained from voting on the agreement before it was ratified.
This week, Ms. Trevelyan was charged with having ‘bottled’ her appearance before MPs to negotiate the arrangement.
In response, Ms. Mordaunt stated: “For my part, I have always appeared before the International Trade Committee or another body of this House when requested to do so.
“I believe that is the ministerial team’s mentality, and we will continue to do so,”
As the trade minister resumed her frontbench responsibilities in the House after losing the race for Conservative Party leadership, her supporters showered her with admiration.
In order to reach an agreement on economic pacts, Ms. Mordaunt also said that the UK is in negotiations with 25 of the 50 American states using trade questions.
Can I pay tribute to my right honorable friend for a magnificent, bold, and honorable fight for the leadership of the Conservative Party and to be prime minister? asked Tory former minister Dame Andrea Leadsom to the minister.
Nick Thomas-Symonds, a candidate for the position of shadow international trade secretary, said: “I welcome the Member for Portsmouth North back after her efforts in the Tory leadership contest.”
The Secretary of State, however, is much less supportive of her departmental efforts.
The comment made by Ms. Trevelyan was then read out by Mr. Thomas-Symonds.
He noted that as Conservative MPs shouted “shameful” at him, “these are the Conservatives’ comments about each other, not my words.”
“I have a terrific team of ministers,” Ms. Trevelyan retorted, “which is precisely why we are able to do everything we can to ensure that our UK firms have access to UK assistance and Government help to get their fantastic goods and services throughout the world.”
Ms. Mordaunt’s modest dedication in carrying out her duties has always struck me, according to Conservative Alicia Kearns.
Please provide me with an update on the status of the specific agreements that my farmers in Rutland and Melton are particularly interested in signing with US states.
In response, Ms. Mordaunt said, “This week, we continued our discussions with Utah, and yesterday, we signed the second state-level MOU (memorandum of understanding) with North Carolina, which will be based on green growth.
We are currently in talks with 50 percent of the states in the US.
The first eight agreements we’ll sign will cover 20% of the US economy, which will enable mutual recognition of qualifications, open up the procurement process, and allow British companies to export more services and goods.
While praising Ms. Mordaunt’s work with the American states, former Conservative minister Tim Loughton joked: “Think what she could achieve if her emphasis was on the job.”
As Liz Truss vowed to break “economic orthodoxy” at the Treasury, she downplayed her Remainer roots and denied that tax cuts will cause inflation today.
After being chosen by Conservative MPs to face Rishi Sunak in a head-to-head runoff, the Foreign Secretary stepped up her campaign.
At the beginning of September, the new PM will succeed Boris Johnson, but they must first get through a demanding six-week schedule of hustings and media appearances.
In a confident interview on BBC Radio 4’s Today program, Ms. Truss argued for a novel strategy. When questioned about her early dalliance with the Lib Dems, she brushed aside her pro-EU stance from 2016, claiming she “was incorrect,” and simply stated that her opinions had changed.
Ms. Truss said tax cuts were the best way to turn around the UK’s fortunes and ease the cost-of-living crisis, despite data released this morning showing government borrowing in June at its second-highest level ever and interest on the £2.4 trillion debt mountain reaching a new high of £19.4 billion.
She stated that the present tax policies implemented by Mr. Sunak when he served as Chancellor, which include raising company tax from 19% to 25% in April, will cause a recession.
When asked how much debt interest there is currently, Ms. Truss responded, “I know we’ve got enormous debt interest… hundreds of billions of dollars.
However, she continued, “We have smaller debt than the United States, Japan, and Canada, and we have the highest taxes in 70 years.”
No other nations are increasing taxes,
“My tax cuts will lower inflation,” she claimed. For 20 years, a certain brand of economic policy has been promoted by the Treasury, economists, the Financial Times, and other media. It hasn’t brought about growth.
The former chief secretary of the Treasury, Ms. Truss, stated: “From my experience working there, I can say that the Treasury does have economic orthodoxy and they do fight change.
“Change is what the people of Britain need right now.
“We need to encourage investment in our nation, repeal EU rules already on the books, and increase the amount of money going into high-growth companies, such as pension funds.
She claimed that lowering corporation tax and National Insurance “increases the supply side of the economy.”
We have inflation because of a supply shock and a gradually loosened monetary policy, according to the statement.
The fact that more growth is suppressed by higher taxes is not a risk; it is an economic reality.