Penny Mordaunt has claimed “Whitehall is broken” as she outlined her plans for a tighter cabinet.
Ms Mordaunt is one of eight candidates still in the running to become the next Conservative Party leader following Boris Johnson’s resignation last week.
She is currently considered among the favourites for the post, having received the public backing from more than 30 Tory MPs.
And speaking at a launch event in Westminster, Ms Mordaunt said she believes “British people are fed up” with the Government.
Penny Mordaunt
Pool
Ms Mordaunt has claimed that "Whitehall is broken"
Victoria Jones
She said: “The British people are fed up. They are fed up with us not delivering, they are fed up with unfulfilled promises and they are fed up with divisive politics.
“We have to admit that Whitehall is broken. There are great people that work there but in my administration you will see it look and feel very different, very fast.
"We need to do some serious machinery of Government changes.
“We going to have a tighter Cabinet, ministers of state that have clear and timely deliverables that are powerful and reach across Whitehall.”
Ms Mordaunt also promised to return to traditional Conservative values of “low tax, small state and personal responsibility”.
The trade minister pledged to deliver a “relentless focus” on cost-of-living issues, cutting fuel duty and raising tax thresholds.
She brushed off claims that she was less well-known than other candidates, saying “I am the candidate that Labour fear the most”.