As Penny Mordaunt appears on The Last Leg, when was she an MP and did she ever try to become Prime Minister?

Alongside usual hosts Adam Hills, Josh Widdicombe and Charlie Brooker - plus comedian guests Nick Mohammed and Vittorio Angelone - will be former Portsmouth North MP Penny Mordaunt.

The ex-Conservative, who was ousted from her seat in the 2024 general election, will be talking about the week’s news alongside the panel, which will almost certainly revolve around the ongoing conflict in Iran and the Middle East.

Those of us in Portsmouth know Ms Mordaunt all too well, but for those seeing her on TV for the first time, here’s everything you need to know about the former politician.

When was Penny Mordaunt an MP?

Penny Mordaunt served as the Conservative MP for Portsmouth North from 2010, replacing Labour’s Sarah McCarthy-Fry as the Tories and Liberal Democrats formed a coalition government.

She went on to spend 14 years in Westminster, until the Conservatives suffered heavy losses in 2024’s election - when she lost her seat to Labour Party’s Amanda Martin.

Was Penny Mordaunt the defence secretary?

During her time in government, Penny Mordaunt held a variety of positions - including defence secretary.

In April 2018, Ms Mordaunt was appointed minister for women and equalities by Theresa May, and also held the position of secretary of state for international development.

In May 2019, the Portsmouth North MP was given the job of defence secretary by Mrs May, a logical appointment given her local connections to the Royal Navy - but she didn’t get to spend much time in this role. In July that same year, Boris Johnson replaced May as Prime Minister, and Mordaunt was reshuffled to the back benches.

It wasn’t until Liz Truss came to power in 2022 that Mordaunt got another promotion, becoming leader of the House of Commons - a position she kept until she lost her seat in 2024.

Did Penny Mordaunt run for Prime Minister?

When Boris Johnson resigned under a cloud of scandal in 2022, there were plenty of candidates who threw their hats into the ring to replace him. Kemi Badenoch, Nadhim Zahawi and even Fareham and Waterlooville MP Suella Braverman were in the running - and Penny Mordaunt was indeed among them.

Jeremy Hunt, Zahawi and Braverman all fell during the ballot stage, before Mordaunt was eliminated in the fifth round - leaving just Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak to contest for the job of Prime Minister.

Truss eventually took the job, lasting 49 days as PM - Sunak then stepped up to bat, staying at 10 Downing Street until the 2024 general election.

Was Penny Mordaunt on Splash?

Tonight’s episode of The Last Leg is not the first time Ms Mordaunt has been featured on prime-time television.

In 2014, the politician appeared on Splash! - a reality TV show where celebrities were taught how to dive by none other than Team GB Olympian Tom Daley. She competed against the likes of singer Paul Young, comedian Patrick Monahan and glamour model Danielle Lloyd.

At the time, Ms Mordaunt was heavily criticised by Labour opponents for featuring on the show, but that she was donating her £10,000 appearance fee and any additional sponsorship to good causes - including the Hilsea Lido project and a handful of armed forces charities.

Has Penny Mordaunt been on The Last Leg before?

Well yes, but technically no.

In July 2022, after entering the race to become the next Conservative Prime Minister, Ms Mordaunt became the subject of discussion on the show. Presenter Adam Hills told the audience that she followed both him and co-host Charlie Brooker on Twitter, now X - but not Josh Widdicombe.

Hills said: “She seems to be a bit of a fan of The Last Leg, because she follows us. She also follows Alex, and me - she doesn’t follow Josh.”

“I like the idea that she just follows disabled people,” Brooker joked.

Hills then privately messaged Mordaunt during the show, suggesting she could unfollow Brooker too. One advert break later, Mordaunt unfollowed Brooker - but followed Widdicombe instead.

By the end of the show, she had followed all three on Twitter, and in a message to Hills said: “I’m following Alex [Brooker] again. Only u-turn I’ll ever do.”