Sunak re-appoints his challenger Mordaunt as House of Commons Leader

Penny Mordaunt who pulled out of the race at the last minute for Rishi Sunak to become Prime Minister has been re-appointed as leader of the House of Commons by her new boss.

She will also assume the role of Lord President of the Council again, as the presiding officer of the Privy Council.

In pulling out of the contest on Monday Mordaunt said “Our party is our membership. Whether we are elected representatives, activists, fundraisers or supporters, We all have a stake in who our leader is.

“These are unprecedented times. Despite the compressed timetable for the leadership contest, it is clear that colleagues feel we need certainty today. They have taken this decision in good faith for the good of the county.

“Members should known that this progression has been fairly and thoroughly trusted by the agreed 1922 process.

“As a result, we have now chosen our next Prime Minister. This decision is an historic one and shows, once again, the diversity and talent of our party. Rishi has my full support.

“I am proud of the campaign we ran and grateful to all those across all sides of our party, who gave me their backing.

“We all owe it to the country, to each other and to Rishi to unite and work together for the good of the nation. There is much work to be done.”