Mordaunt – like Patel before her – is effective, ambitious, and keenly aware that many Conservative voters are not natural fans of aid spending.
Also: female Tories press the Prime Minister for action on Ulster abortion law; and Davies urges Party to unite over Brexit.
It’s a counter-intuitive take – but it’s what the sum of opinion polling in recent years tends to suggest.
It looks to be the least bad medium-term means of settling the future of abortion laws in Northern Ireland.
Conservative Progress is engaging and training up the activists who will help deliver future election victories for our Party.
Truss moves up into the middle of the table, Williamson drops towards the floor, and Gauke slumps into the red over Warboys.
Plus: Henry Bolton, secret LibDem agent. (Or not.) Penny Mordaunt, next Tory leader. (Or not.) British communists surprise us. (Or don’t.) And: my CNN joy.
The International Development Secretary’s response to the Oxfam scandal appears to have impressed Party members.
At a time when austerity continues, we need to be explain that we are not wasting taxpayers’ money on a grand delusion that we can create prosperity.
Taxpayers’ money has sapped the independence, and the moral responsibility, of our great charities.
“We have to demonstrate that the money is not just being spent well, but could not be spent better”.
It’s often suggested that the Remain wing of the Cabinet wouldn’t wear such a choice. I doubt it.
And the Prime Minister, tenth in the table last time round, is back in negative territory and second from bottom.
It is hard to appoint more women to Cabinet when there are few senior women to promote. We count only four at Minister of State level.
As a permanent member of the Security Council and close ally to all members of the Coalition, it is in a perfect position to do so.