Penny Mordaunt is cleared to stand as Tory candidate after ditching 'wet' stance on ECHR and net zero

From the Newshound archive · first published 4 October 2026 · last updated 5 October 2026.

Penny Mordaunt has been approved by the Conservative candidates committee, ending weeks of uncertainty over whether the former cabinet minister would be allowed to seek a return to Parliament. She admitted she had not agreed with every Tory policy but declared herself fully behind Kemi Badenoch's direction. Critics are asking whether she has genuinely changed her principles or is simply doing what it takes to stay in the game.

Mordaunt lost her Portsmouth North seat in 2024 and was widely seen as a future Tory leader before the party's election collapse.

She was reportedly being blocked alongside other 'wet' Tories who opposed leaving the ECHR and resisted dropping support for net zero.

'I would love to be back on the squad,' she told the BBC — adding she would 'chop the oranges at half time' if not selected.