Penny Mordaunt is used taking a leap of faith. Back in 2014, on the ITV diving reality show Splash, she twice attempted a daring back somersault from 7.5m ― only to flunk it on both occasions. The result was an early and rather painful exit, with the then junior minister left less red-faced as red all over.
Fast forward eight years and Britain's current international trade secretary has entered another competition ― only this time she is diving not into the blue depths of an Olympic-sized pool, but head first into the "blue" race to succeed Boris Johnson as Tory leader.
Thankfully for Ms Mordaunt, 49, her chances of success in this competition appear far more auspicious, with a Conservative Home poll suggesting she is the preferred candidate of Tory members, just ahead of equalities minister Kemi Badenoch and former UK chancellor Rishi Sunak.
Launching her campaign on Sunday with the nifty and nominatively deterministic slogan PM4PM, Miss Mordaunt said she sees leadership as being "less about the leader and a lot more about the ship" ― a direct rebuke to the omnipresent and obtrusive Mr Johnson.
The nautical reference would also have been carefully calibrated by the former navy reservist, aware that links with the military tend to play well with Tories and the country at large.
With her party rocking like a naval vessel on choppy seas after the catalogue of scandals that bedevilled Mr Johnson's premiership ― partygate perhaps the most damaging ― Ms Mordaunt comes with the promise of discipline, rectitude and old-fashioned conservatism.
"Recently, our party has lost its sense of self," she said in the first major speech of her campaign.
"If I can compare it to being in the Glastonbury audience, when Paul McCartney was playing his set ― we indulged all those new tunes, but what we really wanted was the good old stuff that we all knew the words to: low tax, a small state, personal responsibility."
Mordaunt's early years marred by family tragedy
Penny Mordaunt and twin brother James were born in Torquay, Devon in 1973, the children of a former paratrooper and special needs teacher.
They were raised in the southern UK coastal town of Portsmouth from the age of two and enjoyed a blissful childhood until their mother died from breast cancer when they were only 15.
Ms Mordaunt's blue credentials are hard to dispute. Unlike leadership rival and erstwhile Liberal Democrat supporter Liz Truss, she is a lifelong Tory and was head of youth for the Conservative Party at Reading university from where she graduated with a philosophy degree in 1995. While at the same university as a mature student, Ms Mordaunt met Paul Murray, who she married in 1999 but divorced just a year later.
Little is known about Mr Murray or the reasons for the divorce, but Ms Mordaunt has now been in a relationship with classical singer Ian Lyon for many years ― although the pair are yet to tie the knot.
Rise of Portsmouth MP Mordaunt
Prior to entering parliament, Ms Mourdaunt plied her trade in communications in the UK and the US, even playing a prominent role in the presidential campaign of George W Bush as head of foreign press.
She first stood for election in 2005 in Portsmouth. She was unsuccessful but gained redemption five years later in 2010, winning the seat for David Cameron's Tories.
Before becoming international trade minister she held a variety of ministerial positions and two Cabinet roles. Theresa May appointed her secretary of state for international development in 2017 and then in 2019, after the sacking of Gavin Williamson, elevated her to defence secretary.
It was a position she held for only 85 days with Mr Johnson unceremoniously demoting after he became leader of the party later that year ― interpreted by the commentariat at the time as revenge for her backing for rival Jeremy Hunt.
Penny Mordaunt's unifying appeal
All Tory leadership contenders have been clamouring to own the epithet: "the candidate most feared by Labour".
Arguably Ms Mordaunt is in pole position on that front. According to Oddschecker, she currently stands a 37 per cent chance of becoming the next PM, with fellow favourite Rishi Sunak on the same mark.
Ms Mordaunt campaigned for the Vote Leave group during the 2016 Brexit referendum, and in a 2021 delivered an impassioned speech defending it.
"Brexit is not an event to be mourned by the international community. Or an act of self-harm or one that requires us to be punished. It is a massive opportunity to anyone who believes in democracy and the power of trade as a force for good in the world."
While Rishi Sunak is also a staunch Brexiteer, he is a far more divisive figure among the Conservative right, seen by Johnson acolytes as the Brutus behind the prime minister's downfall. He is also associated with fiscal incontinence, raising taxes to their highest level since the Second World War. While many in the party forgive him the hike given the extraordinary pressures of the coronavirus pandemic, many see his record as being distinctly "unconservative".
In a recent Telegraph interview, Ms Mordaunt set great stall by a far more conventionally "conservative" approach: the politics of pragmatism ― an approach which, according to PoliticsHome, means she also appeals to the Tory "self-styled" who associate her with fealty both to David Cameron and Theresa May.
"Your mother dies, you get on with it. Your father loses his job, you get on with it. You take responsibility. You work and you keep on working. You protect and fight for those you love,” she said.
Mordaunt channelling Maggie on economy
In a self-penned piece in same paper, beloved of the Tory heartlands, she sought to cast herself as the fiscal alternative to Mr Sunak.
"Whilst I will cut taxes, I will pioneer sound money, with a key fiscal rule to ensure that debt as a percentage of GDP falls over time."
She has also said she will introduce an immediate 50 per cent cut in VAT on fuel until at least April 2023, funded by increased VAT revenues as a result of inflation, and raise basic and middle earners' tax thresholds in line with inflation.
One thing that she will not be offering is a rise in wages for the ordinary worker, and like all candidates is attempting to give the best impression of de facto Tory deity and scourge of miners, Margaret Thatcher
"Our economy is faced with the twin problems of soaring inflation and falling confidence ― with a real risk of recession ahead," she wrote.
"My government will focus on getting inflation under control, working closely with the independent Bank of England. We cannot risk spiralling wages and prices that lead to lower standards of living and loss of jobs."
Mr Sunak has vowed to take a similar position, but unlike Ms Mordaunt he is one of the richest people in Britain and thus will find it far harder to tell the electorate to go without.
Ms Mordaunt is not impregnable, however, and one area of potential weakness is the culture wars. Unlike the plain-speaking Kemi Badenoch, who takes a fiercely traditionalist view on issues such as trans rights and abortion, Ms Mordaunt is a campaigner for both, once describing abortion laws in Northern Ireland "as the most appalling thing".
Penny Mordaunt and the Gulf
There is little to judge Ms Mordaunt on regarding her stance on the Gulf ― although her cultural views are certainly at odds with prevailing sentiments. But in 2017 she was involved in negotiations with the Saudis to keep open the port of Hodeidah in Yemen.
Her intervention went down well, with a Times source telling the paper it “was the most impressive [performance] they had ever seen from a British government minister”.
Conservative leadership candidates on the campaign trail - in pictures
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The biog
Favourite colour: Brown
Favourite Movie: Resident Evil
Hobbies: Painting, Cooking, Imitating Voices
Favourite food: Pizza
Trivia: Was the voice of three characters in the Emirati animation, Shaabiyat Al Cartoon
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
Results
Female 49kg: Mayssa Bastos (BRA) bt Thamires Aquino (BRA); points 0-0 (advantage points points 1-0).
Female 55kg: Bianca Basilio (BRA) bt Amal Amjahid (BEL); points 4-2.
Female 62kg: Beatriz Mesquita (BRA) v Ffion Davies (GBR); 10-2.
Female 70kg: Thamara Silva (BRA) bt Alessandra Moss (AUS); submission.
Female 90kg: Gabreili Passanha (BRA) bt Claire-France Thevenon (FRA); submission.
Male 56kg: Hiago George (BRA) bt Carlos Alberto da Silva (BRA); 2-2 (2-0)
Male 62kg: Gabriel de Sousa (BRA) bt Joao Miyao (BRA); 2-2 (2-1)
Male 69kg: Paulo Miyao (BRA) bt Isaac Doederlein (USA); 2-2 (2-2) Ref decision.
Male 77kg: Tommy Langarkar (NOR) by Oliver Lovell (GBR); submission.
Male 85kg: Rudson Mateus Teles (BRA) bt Faisal Al Ketbi (UAE); 2-2 (1-1) Ref decision.
Male 94kg: Kaynan Duarte (BRA) bt Adam Wardzinski (POL); submission.
Male 110kg: Joao Rocha (BRA) bt Yahia Mansoor Al Hammadi (UAE); submission.
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Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
The bio
Job: Coder, website designer and chief executive, Trinet solutions
School: Year 8 pupil at Elite English School in Abu Hail, Deira
Role Models: Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk
Dream City: San Francisco
Hometown: Dubai
City of birth: Thiruvilla, Kerala
Scoreline
Real Madrid 1
Ronaldo (53')
Atletico Madrid 1
Griezmann (57')
Read more about the coronavirus
The%20specs
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RESULT
Manchester United 1 Brighton and Hove Albion 0
Man United: Dunk (66' og)
Man of the Match: Shane Duffy (Brighton)
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week
Profile
Name: Carzaty
Founders: Marwan Chaar and Hassan Jaffar
Launched: 2017
Employees: 22
Based: Dubai and Muscat
Sector: Automobile retail
Funding to date: $5.5 million
More coverage from the Future Forum
The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer
Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000
Engine 3.6L V6
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm
Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
Info
What: 11th edition of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship
When: December 27-29, 2018
Confirmed: men: Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Kevin Anderson, Dominic Thiem, Hyeon Chung, Karen Khachanov; women: Venus Williams
Tickets: www.ticketmaster.ae, Virgin megastores or call 800 86 823
ACC 2019: The winners in full
Best Actress Maha Alemi, Sofia
Best Actor Mohamed Dhrif, Weldi
Best Screenplay Meryem Benm’Barek, Sofia
Best Documentary Of Fathers and Sons by Talal Derki
Best Film Yomeddine by Abu Bakr Shawky
Best Director Nadine Labaki, Capernaum
Results
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OPTA'S PREDICTED TABLE
1. Liverpool 101 points
2. Manchester City 80
3. Leicester 67
4. Chelsea 63
5. Manchester United 61
6. Tottenham 58
7. Wolves 56
8. Arsenal 56
9. Sheffield United 55
10. Everton 50
11. Burnley 49
12. Crystal Palace 49
13. Newcastle 46
14. Southampton 44
15. West Ham 39
16. Brighton 37
17. Watford 36
18. Bournemouth 36
19. Aston Villa 32
20. Norwich City 29
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Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
Teams
Punjabi Legends Owners: Inzamam-ul-Haq and Intizar-ul-Haq; Key player: Misbah-ul-Haq
Pakhtoons Owners: Habib Khan and Tajuddin Khan; Key player: Shahid Afridi
Maratha Arabians Owners: Sohail Khan, Ali Tumbi, Parvez Khan; Key player: Virender Sehwag
Bangla Tigers Owners: Shirajuddin Alam, Yasin Choudhary, Neelesh Bhatnager, Anis and Rizwan Sajan; Key player: TBC
Colombo Lions Owners: Sri Lanka Cricket; Key player: TBC
Kerala Kings Owners: Hussain Adam Ali and Shafi Ul Mulk; Key player: Eoin Morgan
Venue Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Format 10 overs per side, matches last for 90 minutes
Timeline October 25: Around 120 players to be entered into a draft, to be held in Dubai; December 21: Matches start; December 24: Finals
Women's Prize for Fiction shortlist
The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker
My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
Milkman by Anna Burns
Ordinary People by Diana Evans
An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
Circe by Madeline Miller
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
Bio
Born in Dibba, Sharjah in 1972.
He is the eldest among 11 brothers and sisters.
He was educated in Sharjah schools and is a graduate of UAE University in Al Ain.
He has written poetry for 30 years and has had work published in local newspapers.
He likes all kinds of adventure movies that relate to his work.
His dream is a safe and preserved environment for all humankind.
His favourite book is The Quran, and 'Maze of Innovation and Creativity', written by his brother.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Winners
Best Men's Player of the Year: Kylian Mbappe (PSG)
Maradona Award for Best Goal Scorer of the Year: Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
TikTok Fans’ Player of the Year: Robert Lewandowski
Top Goal Scorer of All Time: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
Best Women's Player of the Year: Alexia Putellas (Barcelona)
Best Men's Club of the Year: Chelsea
Best Women's Club of the Year: Barcelona
Best Defender of the Year: Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus/Italy)
Best Goalkeeper of the Year: Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG/Italy)
Best Coach of the Year: Roberto Mancini (Italy)
Best National Team of the Year: Italy
Best Agent of the Year: Federico Pastorello
Best Sporting Director of the Year: Txiki Begiristain (Manchester City)
Player Career Award: Ronaldinho
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Honeymoonish
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