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Penny’s four-letter jibe at Tory comms

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It was Pendemonium last night at the Tory conference as Penny Mordaunt toured the evening circuit, following her recent leadership bid. Adoring fans met her at every turn, with one remarking to Mr S ‘she’s what we could have won!’ At the midnight reception for Conservatives in Communication, dozens swarmed the Leader of the House, rapturously hanging on her every word. And Mordaunt was clearly enjoying the attention, joking to the audience of hacks, lobbyists and spinners:

It’s been a long day. What have we learned so far in conference? We’ve learned our policies are great but our comms is shit!

That’ll go down well in No. 10. Asked ‘On a scale of one to ten how confident are you that Liz Truss will be the leader that takes us into the next election?’ Mordaunt referenced her support for Truss in the leadership, saying ‘I’m confident, I wouldn’t have backed her if I wasn’t confident that she could do this.’

Steerpike
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Steerpike

Steerpike is The Spectator's gossip columnist, serving up the latest tittle tattle from Westminster and beyond. Email tips to steerpike@spectator.co.uk or message @MrSteerpike

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