AFTER being ousted from the Tory leadership contest Attorney General Suella Braverman on Thursday (14) accused Penny Mordaunt of 'not standing up for women', according to reports.
Junior trade minister Mordaunt now remains in the race for the party leadership while Braverman was knocked out on Thursday.
Former chancellor Rishi Sunak has topped the two votes held so far. He now faces stiff competition from foreign minister Liz Truss, who has the backing of a number of senior figures, and Mordaunt, who polls suggest is the most popular with party members who will decide the winner.
Mordaunt on Thursday came second with 83 votes, and gained the more new backers of any candidate.
Braverman repeated her earlier allegation that Mordaunt resisted the addition of the words “mother” and “woman” in a Bill which aimed to help female ministers during pregnancy and childbirth.
She said that owing to the stand of Mordaunt her pregnancy was “needlessly” stressful. Braverman added that Mordaunt as the minister responsible for passing that legislation agreed to it after unsustainable pressure from the House of Lords.
“I was quite disappointed by the way in which it was handled and the responsible minister I’m afraid didn’t stand up for women and didn’t actually reflect the views of a lot of our party on wanting women to be authentically represented on the face of the Bill and in legislation," Braverman was quoted as saying by the Sky News.
However, Mordaunt’s supporters said that she had no authority or responsibility for the wording of the Bill as she was paymaster general then.
According to a BBC report, Braverman said that her party colleague had a different view than hers when it comes to gender ideology and the position of transpeople.
“Ultimately I was the only authentic Brexiteer, the party has turned me down, I’m going to have to find someone who comes close to what my policy platform was,” she was quoted as saying by the broadcaster.
The Telegraph said that it is the latest in a string of public intervention from Right-wing rivals to Mordaunt’s campaign, Also, several MPs questioned her record as a minister.
Simon Clarke, who backs Liz Truss, took aim at both Rishi Sunak and Mordaunt, saying that he has 'grave reservations' about them.
FILE PHOTO: A general view shows British Steel's Scunthorpe plant, in Scunthorpe, northern England, Britain, March 31, 2025. REUTERS/Dominic Lipinski
The FBU is planning to introduce new internal policies and wants the TUC to take action as well. (Representational image: iStock)
FBU chief raises concern over rise in racist online posts by union members
THE FIRE Brigades Union (FBU) and other trade unions are increasingly concerned about a rise in racist and bigoted online comments by their own members and officials, according to Steve Wright, the FBU’s new general secretary, speaking to the Guardian.
Wright said internal inquiries have revealed dozens of cases involving members using racist slurs or stereotypes, often aimed at asylum seekers.
He said similar issues were reported in other unions, prompting a joint campaign to counter false narratives around immigration and race promoted by far-right groups online.
“People with far-right views are becoming more brazen in what they do on social media, and I’ve witnessed it with my own union around disciplinary cases and the rhetoric of some of our own members,” Wright said to the newspaper.
He added, “Some of our members and sometimes our reps have openly made comments which are racist and bigoted. In my time in the fire service, that has gone up.”
The FBU is planning to introduce new internal policies and wants the TUC to take action as well. A formal statement addressing far-right narratives will be launched at the union’s annual conference in Blackpool next month.
Wright cited the influence of social media and figures like Donald Trump and Nigel Farage as factors contributing to these incidents. “It feels like an itch that we’ve got to scratch,” he said.
The FBU barred a former official last year for allegedly endorsing racist content on X, including posts from Britain First and Tommy Robinson.
Wright also warned that the union could strike if the government moves to cut frontline fire services.