INTERNATIONAL Trade minister Penny Mordaunt has become the ninth candidate in the Tory leadership race. 

In a video promoting her candidacy, launched on Sunday, the Portsmouth MP said: "Our leadership has to change. It needs to become a little less about the leader and a lot more about the ship."

Ms Mordaunt’s candidacy is no real surprise. On Saturday night, she shared an article on from Dr Gerard Lyons, Boris Johnson’s former chief economic adviser, which stated she would make a “great prime minister”.

She also hit back at claims she was too “woke” to take on the leadership because of her views on trans issues.

The Navy reservist has previously said that “trans women are women,” both in a 2018 interview with the PinkNews website, and when answering a question in the House of Commons. 

That has sparked anger from organisations critical of certain aspects of trans rights. 

Yesterday, the campaign group Conservatives for Women (CfW) called Ms Mordaunt “a committed warrior for the trans lobby.”

They told the Daily Mail: “Her promotion of mantras and failure to see how this may cause enormous harm to women’s rights and children raises questions over her judgment.”

Taking to Twitter just after midnight, Ms Mordaunt said: “I hope in, in the next few days we’ll able to discuss how we get our economy growing again and enable our citizens to live well. Right now, I’d like to address another question that I’ve been asked: Do I know what a woman is?

“Yes I do. I am a woman.”

She added: “I am biologically a woman. If I have a hysterectomy or mastectomy, I am still a woman. And I am legally a woman.

“Some people born male and who have been through the gender recognition process are also legally female. That DOES NOT mean they are biological women, like me.

“All my life, I’ve fought for gender equality. I’ve stood up for women. I’ve listened to them.

“I’ve been right alongside them in every major battle. I make sure policy is focused on them. Just look at my track record.”

Ms Mordaunt said that as women and equalities minister, she “challenged the trans orthodoxy with real and genuine concern” and ordered an inquiry into the number of girls being referred into trans services.

She also called for a “science-based approach” to trans competitors in sport. “The biology is overwhelmingly important,” she added. 

The minister added: “Some want to damage my reputation for whatever reason. They want to depict me as ‘woke’. I was elected by the no-nonsense, down-to-earth people of Portsmouth North. It was a Labour seat.

“I’ve increased my vote share at each election. I refer you to their judgment. I’ve fought for women’s rights all my life. I would NEVER do anything to undermine them. I will continue to protect them.

“And those that purport to be champions of women while misrepresenting and undermining them might like to think again.”