Penny Mordaunt cleared to run as Conservative candidate despite earlier blockage reports

Penny Mordaunt, the former defence secretary who was defeated in Portsmouth North in 2024, announced she has been cleared by the Conservative candidates committee to contest the next general election. She confirmed she passed the parliamentary assessment board and is awaiting a constituency allocation, adding she would love to rejoin the parliamentary team. Although she admitted she has not agreed with every party policy, she said she now backs the leadership’s direction under Kemi Badenoch, including the plan to exit the European Convention on Human Rights.

The news follows reports that senior "wet" Conservatives were being prevented from standing due to their opposition to the party’s stance on the ECHR and net-zero commitments. Earlier speculation linked her alleged blockage to the rejection of former party chairman Grant Shapps as a candidate. Mordaunt’s comments were made on the opening day of the Conservative Party’s annual conference in Birmingham, where Badenoch is set to outline the party’s future vision.