Bracknell’s MP has defended one of the Prime Ministerial candidates after they received a wave of ‘attacks’ since standing for election. 

James Sunderland MP said it was a “pity” that Penny Mordaunt is being subjected to “personal attacks” after newspapers and fellow Conservatives criticised her character since becoming one of the favourites for the job. 

Ms Mordaunt, a trade minister, hit out at the “smears” which have seen her accused of making false claims regarding Turkey joining the EU during the Brexit debate, her stance on gender self-ID, and who is best placed to defeat Keir Starmer in a future general election. 

Five candidates remain in the race to succeed Boris Johnson, who resigned after losing the confidence of his government amidst accusations of not telling the truth, and rivalries have got personal during the recent live broadcast debates on Channel 4 and ITV. 

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It has been alleged that the bookies favourite to become the next PM, Ms Mordaunt, supported a plan for self-ID for those wishing to transition gender when she was a government equalities minister, which she denies. 

Ms Mordaunt claims she was not in favour of self-identification and would “not have divorced it from healthcare”. 

A Sunday Times article said government papers appeared to suggest Ms Mordaunt had been in favour of removing at least one stage of the medical process required for transgender people to transition legally. 

In a campaign dominated by debate around trust and telling the truth, Ms Mordaunt has also been criticised for repeating claims she made during the 2016 Brexit referendum that the UK could not stop Turkey from joining the EU, despite Article 49 of the EU treaty granting a veto on any country joining. 

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She argued that David Cameron, the PM at the time, had assured Turkey that the UK would support its membership, which was then used by the Vote Leave campaign to stoke fears about immigration. 

“Just because there’s a provision in a treaty doesn’t mean that the UK could ever have used that,” Ms Mordaunt said. 

Mr Cameron has stated publicly that any chance of Turkey joining the bloc would be “decades away”. Other member states also have vetoes. 

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During the ITV leaders’ debate, Ms Mordaunt claimed polling shows that she is “the only one” who could beat Labour leader Keir Starmer in a subsequent general election, which her fellow opponents insisted is “not true” .

Five candidates will become four this evening, with the results of the third round of voting expected to be announced at 8pm. 

Mr Sunderland said: “We have to raise the bar in politics with a fairer and more objective approach that focuses on UK priorities, integrity and decency. We need a fresh start and that is why I am backing [Ms Mordaunt].”