Backbiting from Tory leaders turns to Penny Mordaunt as she becomes bookmakers' favorite

Right winger Lord Frost has launched a scathing attack on Penny Mordaunt as she progresses in the Tory leadership election, suggesting she won't was not up to par

Penny Mordaunt during her leadership launch yesterday (

Image: PA)

The vicious backbiting of the Tory right turned against Penny Mordaunt today as she became the bookmakers' favorite for the job of Prime Minister.

The right - which is expected to rally around Liz Truss when Suella Braverman and Kemi Badenoch are eliminated - had focused their fire on ex-Chancellor Rishi Sunak.

But the focus shifted dramatically to Ms Mordaunt after securing 67 MP votes in the first round - and Ms Truss got 50. That could put her in the members' vote against Mr Sunak, or even against Mrs. Truss.

A projection by Smarkets claimed that Ms Mordaunt could beat Mr Sunak to secure 133 MP votes in the final vote of MPs next week. And a YouGov poll of 879 Tory members puts Ms Mordaunt as the favorite with 27%, well ahead of Mr Sunak.

Betfair now have the Minister of Commerce as a 4/5 favourite, with Truss on 9/2 and Sunak on 7/2.

As she forged ahead with a hard-hitting leadership pitch, conservatives accused her of changing her views on trans rights. She had supported the reforms before proclaiming that as a woman, she had no "zizi".

Penny Mordaunt is accused of being strategic in her views on trans rights (

Picture:

AFP via Getty Images)

Sources have also accused her of being "part-time Penny". One told the Mirror: "You m...