The Conservative leadership candidate, who trailed Rishi Sunak and Boris Johnson for parliamentary nominations by a wide margin on Saturday, describes in a voiceover how she spent her life in Portsmouth. In a personal portrayal by the MP for Portsmouth North, the video describes how her mother died when she was 15. “I’ve been taking care of my family ever since,” he says. “We relied on the NHS during that time and I’ll never forget that.” When her family didn’t have money, she worked in factories and pubs, she says, adding: “I know about the cost of living and how scary it can be.” Her hometown, she says, is proud, patriotic and “likes a pie and a pint”… “And frankly, so do I.” The former defense minister says: “I have done amazing things in my life. I have sat at the table of the World Bank and NATO, I have been to war zones and humanitarian aid centers. I owe it all to the people of Portsmouth and to this country as a whole.” Mordaunt was forced to redo her campaign video for the last leadership race, in which she was disqualified in July after coming third with 105 votes, in response to complaints from people who appeared in it, including British Paralympian Jonnie Peacock. The original also featured Oscar Pistorius, the South African sprinter convicted of murder. Perhaps looking down on her rivals, in her latest video Mordaunt tells potential supporters: “There are a lot of people who think they know me like they think they know you. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. “But ask yourself this: do they understand the life you live? Have they experienced it? Will they make this experience count? I have and I will.”
