Penny Mordaunt was named as one of the front-runners to replace Boris Johnson as Conservative leader following his resignation on July 7.
The former prime minister will stay in the role until another candidate is chosen to replace him.
Other MPs in the running for prime minister included Kemi Badenoch, Suella Braverman, Jeremy Hunt, Nadhim Zahawi, Tom Tugendhat and, Penny Mordaunt.
Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss are still in the running for PM
Here is everything you need to know about Penny Mordaunt:
Who is Penny Mordaunt?
Penny Mordaunt is a Conservative Party politician who has served as the member of parliament for Portsmouth North since 2010.
Penny was born in Torquay, Devon on March 4, 1973, but she grew up in Portsmouth and was educated at Oaklands Comprehensive School and sixth form in Waterlooville.
She went on to study Philosophy at Reading University before working in communications in the private, public and charitable sectors.
What is her role in the government?
Her roles in communications then led to her successful career as a Conservative Party politician.
In her first attempt, she lost Portsmouth North back in 2005, before gaining the seat in 2010, 2015, 2017, and 2019.
In 2014, she joined the government as a Minister in Local Government, and the following year, she was made the Minister of Armed Forces.
Penny was the first woman to hold this position and in 2016, she was appointed as Minister of State for Disabled People, Health and Work.
She was promoted again in 2017 when she entered her first cabinet position as Secretary of State for International Development.
This role led the MP to become the first woman to become Secretary of State for Defence.
Penny returned to government in 2020 and was appointed the role of Her Majesty's Paymaster General and in 2021, she was appointed Minister for International Trade Policy.
Where did Penny Mordaunt come in the leadership race?
Mr Johnson faced reiterated calls to resign from the public, politicians, and even MPs in his own party after he confirmed in the prime minister's questions that he had attended a 'bring your own booze' party at Downing Street back in 2020.
Allegedly, at least 30 people were present at the garden party when it was forbidden to meet more than one person outside due to lockdown restrictions.
Following Mr Johnson’s resignation on July 7, Ms Mordaunt announced that she would be running for the role of prime minister.
The Portsmouth North MP was knocked out of the competition on July 20, coming in third place.
In a statement after her elimination from the contest Ms Mordaunt congratulated Mr Sunak and Ms Truss, saying that politics is a ‘divisive and difficult place’ while calling for unity.
SEE ALSO: Portsmouth responds to ‘betrayal’ as PM admits hosting lockdown garden party in Downing Street
When is the next general election?
General elections are held every five years in the UK under the terms of the Fixed Term Parliament Act (2011).
This act states fixed dates of and periods between elections.
The next general election in the UK is scheduled to take place on Thursday, May 2, 2024.
The last general election took place on Thursday, December 12, 2019, which was earlier than planned due to Theresa May's resignation as prime minister.