Portsmouth North MP Penny Mordaunt clashes with Conservative leadership rivals on trans issue in TV debate

Appearing before a Channel 4 studio audience, Liz Truss and Kemi Badenoch accused Portsmouth North MP Ms Mordaunt of having backed self-identification when she had responsibility for equalities issues – something she strongly denied.

Trans issues have become a hot-button topic in the leadership contest.

The trade minister said that while she had carried out a consultation of the Gender Recognition Act, she had never been in favour of self-ID.

She said: ‘I can’t imagine why people are not comprehending what I say and have been regurgitating this issue for weeks and weeks.

‘I’m a woman, I’m a biological woman in every cell in my body,’ she said, adding that a man who had transitioned was ‘not the same as me.’

However, Ms Badenoch, the former equalities minister, disagreed with her rival’s account.

She said: ‘When I took over [as] equalities minister in 2020 what was being pushed was self-ID. I don’t understand how that would have changed unless someone else did it.

‘My understanding was the previous minister who had the role (Ms Mordaunt) had wanted self-ID.’

Ms Mordaunt retorted: ‘That is not correct. This will all be on record.’

However, Ms Truss, who also had responsibility for equalities alongside her role as foreign secretary, said there had been a plan to move forward on self-ID.

Ms Truss added: ‘I believe in women’s rights I also believe that transgender should be treated with respect, so I changed the outcome so we made the programme simpler and kinder, but not move ahead with self-ID.’

The poisonous legacy of Boris Johnson’s premiership was made clear when host Krishnan Guru-Murthy asked: ‘Is Boris Johnson honest?’

While the others danced around it, Tom Tugendhat received a round of applause for a simple: ‘No.’

Earlier in the debate Ms Mordaunt was asked about negative stories in the press about her campaign.

She said: ‘We are all responsible for our own campaigns and I take it as a big fat compliment that no-one wants to run against me.

‘The campaign that I’m running, people can see, is not doing that. I think it’s incredibly important, if we are going to rebuild trust, to stop that sort of thing.

‘I would suggest to candidates that they adopt that model.’

When asked whether she ‘had the dogs out’ to attack Ms Mordaunt, Ms Truss said: ‘I’m running an entirely positive campaign which is about the great challenges we face and what we need to do to deliver for the people of Britain because we are facing a cost-of-living crisis, families are struggling.’

During the debate Ms Mordaunt repeatedly painted herself as different to her rivals.

In her closing statement, and addressing all of the electorate – not just party members who will decide the leadership, she said: ‘At some point, all of you will have a vote. And you will see that not all politicians are the same.

‘I’m not the traditional offer. I’m not the legacy candidate. I’m focused on the future.’

Ms Mordaunt remains favourite with Rishi Sunak to make it to the final two for the party membership to vote on for their new leader and PM.