According to one supporter of rival candidate Suella Braverman, a bill that substituted the word “woman” with “pregnant person” infuriated her.
Penny Mordaunt, the frontrunner for the Tory leadership, suffered her first loss of the campaign when MPs attacked her attitude on trans matters.
She battled with right-wing Conservative MPs at a large debate attended by the six remaining contenders after the first round of voting.
The following are:
Kemi Badenoch
Suella Braverman
Penny Mordaunt
Rishi Sunak
Liz Truss
Tom Tugendhat
Former health secretary Jeremy Hunt and newly appointed chancellor Nadhim Zahawi were eliminated in the first round on Wednesday.
The trade minister and former defense secretary, Ms. Mordaunt, has infuriated Tory traditionalists in the past by advocating for trans rights and gender recognition.
She was attacked by the 1922 Committee of backbench Tories at the hustings about her handling of a bill that allowed Attorney General Suella Braverman to take maternity leave last year.
Ms. Braverman is now one of Ms. Mordaunt’s competitors for the leadership, and she has criticized her choice to substitute “woman” in the law with “pregnant person.”
During the bill’s passage through the House of Commons, Tory lawmakers led by senior ex-minister Sir John Hayes proposed amendments to reinsert “mother” and “woman,” but the government rejected them.
After a battle that included Labour and Conservative peers, the same amendments were resurrected in the House of Lords.
Sir John, a prominent supporter of Ms. Braverman, questioned Ms. Mordaunt on the topic during the 1922 campaign, and his colleagues afterward described him as “incandescent” after hearing her response.
“She stated that she had only a day to read the measure,” a present member of parliament told Sky News. Anyone who has previously served as a bill minister would tell you that you have plenty of time to prepare.
“The identity agenda, if we can call it that, is quickly gaining traction as a campaign topic,” a party grandee told after the debates.
MPs also questioned the six contenders on the economy and tax cuts, education, ambulance wait times, the “benefits of Brexit,” and the environment and net zero during the debate.
Previously, at the outset of her campaign, Ms. Mordaunt responded to criticism of her trans rights stance by declaring: “I believe Margaret Thatcher said, “Every prime minister requires a Willie.” A woman like me doesn’t have one.”
This morning, at 11.30 a.m., Tory lawmakers will begin the second round of voting, which will last until 1.30 p.m.
At 3 p.m., Sir Graham Brady, chairman of 1922, will deliver the outcome.
Whoever has the fewest supporters will be eliminated, and the party will continue holding elections in the next few days until they are down to the last two candidates.
