LONDON: British Prime Minister Theresa May’s office confirmed that Penny Mordaunt has been appointed Britain’s new minister for international development, replacing Priti Patel who resigned on Wednesday over undisclosed meetings with Israeli officials that breached protocol.
May is grappling with crises on several fronts. Her team is struggling to make headway in exit talks with the European Union, several ministers are embroiled in a wider sexual harassment scandal and her ability to command a majority in parliament is facing its most serious test.
Patel’s resignation forced May into her second cabinet reshuffle in a week after former defence minister Michael Fallon resigned in the sexual harassment scandal that has also led to investigations into the conduct of two other ministers including May’s deputy.
Mordaunt, 44, was elected in 2010 to represent the southern English coastal city of Portsmouth, where she also serves as a volunteer reservist for the Royal Navy.
She has previously argued the EU was a failing institution and that leaving would help make Britain safer.
— Reuters
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