Penny Mordaunt, once viewed as a possible leader of Conservative Party, lost her parliamentary seat to a candidate from the opposition Labour Party, election results showed early on Friday.
Mordaunt, 51, secured 13,715 votes, or 33 per cent of the total, in the Portsmouth North constituency in southern England, behind 34.8 per cent for Labour's Amanda Martin.
Mordaunt's loss is the latest election night setback for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Conservatives, who are headed for a crushing defeat to Labour after 14 years in power, according to an exit poll published at the close of voting.
Results from elsewhere showed at least five other Conservative ministers had lost their seats.
Mordaunt, who served as Leader of the House of Commons, a senior ministerial role in Sunak's cabinet, ran unsuccessfully in the two Conservative leadership contests of 2022, with some support from the moderate wing of the centre-right party.
She also played a notable part in King Charles' coronation last May, when she carried a ceremonial sword through Westminster Abbey, helping raise her public profile. (Reuters)
Former prime minister Rishi Sunak with his wife Akshata Murty (left), their children Anoushka and Krishna and his mother-in-law Sudha Murty (second from left) are pictured during their visit to the Taj Mahal in Agra last month
Sara Sharif. (Photo: Surrey Police)
FILE PHOTO: Floral tributes are laid following a vigil for the victims of the knife attack in Southport, Britain July 30, 2024. REUTERS/Temilade Adelaja
