Go back

Former R&D and HE ministers back Mordaunt for PM

Images: Richard Townshend; Chris McAndrew [CC BY 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

George Freeman and Michelle Donelan want Penny Mordaunt to become next UK prime minister

The UK’s immediate past ministers for universities and science are backing Penny Mordaunt in her bid to become the next leader of the Conservative Party and prime minister.

Trade minister Mordaunt is currently in second place with 92 Conservative MPs’ votes, behind former chancellor Rishi Sunak with 118 votes, but ahead of foreign secretary Liz Truss with 86 votes.

A vote to decide which two of the three remaining candidates will make it to the final round is expected this afternoon.

Speaking to Research Professional News ahead of the vote, former higher education minister Donelan said Mordaunt shared her vision for a “university system that acts as the great engine of social mobility, utilising the talents and abilities of everyone”.

“I am passionate about ensuring our world-class university system stays that way by improving on quality, transparency and access,” she said.

“From clearer university adverts to ending the use of non-disclosure agreements to silence victims of sexual harassment, Penny and I are on the same page with what needs to be done.”

Donelan, who was also briefly made secretary of state for education before resigning after less than two days in the job, added that she and Mordaunt had “exciting plans” for a “national scholarship scheme”.

“Penny also understands the incredible economic opportunities of a universities system that is flexible and supports lifelong learning, especially upskilling and reskilling,” Donelan continued.

“She wants to work with universities to maximise their potential to drive this country forward. Penny and I also share the same view that we must celebrate the incredible public service that those who work in universities and across education undertake.”

‘Standout candidate’

George Freeman, who stepped down as science minister earlier this month, has also been vocal in his support for Mordaunt.

In an article published on the news website Politics Home, Freeman described her as a “standout candidate who can heal the wounds of the last few years and get our party back to united and winning ways and make Brexit the inspiring moment of renewal people voted for”.

He added: “Brexiteer and social justice campaigner, patriot and pioneer—Penny has demonstrated leadership on the world stage at the very highest levels of government.”

“She missed university, had to start a business to get on—that’s enterprise,” he said in one of his recent TV interviews, adding on Twitter: “She’s tough, direct, straight-talking and very focused.”

Freeman retweeted her pledge that under her leadership “we will launch major new international engineer training courses to address labour market shortages” and also cited her “big commitment…to accelerate levelling up and Northern Powerhouse” with “skills and training institutes for new economy in the North”, and that the “majority of new R+D industry investment” would be distributed outside of London and the South East.

Speaking to Research Professional News, Freeman said: “The single most important issue for me in this leadership election is which candidate is most committed to investing in and harnessing UK science, research, technology and innovation.

“Having worked with Penny Mordaunt over the last 12 years, I know that she gets it. When she was international development secretary and defence secretary and as minister for trade, she has shown huge support for the role of UK science in both our economy and as a source of international soft power.

“Her economic policy puts a strong emphasis on research and innovation, and I know that she will ensure a strong voice for research in her cabinet.”

Mordaunt’s innovation pledges

Writing in The Times on 19 July, Mordaunt said there was a “huge opportunity for making the UK and London a global hub of investment in the new economy of clean-tech, agri-tech and space-tech”.

“But several key things are needed to make that happen. We need to deregulate pension funds and incentivise scale-up by reviewing fiscal options such as reinstating capital gains tax taper relief and abolishing capital gains tax on R&D companies,” she wrote.

“We can also make use of being outside the EU’s rigid and restricting state aid regime by expanding the Enterprise Investment Scheme for scale-ups and launching retail UK Tech Individual Savings Accounts.”

She called for a “new deal for innovation that rewards innovation rather than punishes it”.

“For example, in the NHS there are a raft of great innovations we could use but the system makes it almost impossible—for instance, unleashing the true power of anonymised patient data and a fully digitised system. It’s time to unlock the potential all around us.”