Suella Braverman has dubbed Penny Mordaunt as “the woke candidate” after the Conservative Party leadership race was whittled down to final three politicians.
Ms Braverman was in the running to become the next Tory leader but dropped out last week as voting continued.
Three candidates now remain – Rishi Sunak, Liz Truss and Ms Mordaunt.
But speaking in an exclusive interview on GB News’ Dan Wootton Tonight, Ms Braverman has questioned Ms Mordaunt’s views after she allegedly opposed changing the wording on a Bill from 'pregnant person' to ‘woman’ last year.
Penny Mordaunt and Suella Braverman
PA/GB News
Ms Braverman told Dan: “My experience was relating to Penny’s stewardship of the ministerial and other maternity allowances Bill which was introduced by Government for my benefit at the time.
“It was an anomaly of our system that just by virtue of having a baby I would’ve had to resigned from my job.
“I have to say, to his credit, the Prime Minister was absolutely one hundred percent supportive of someone in his top team having a baby, no questions asked.
“But it required legislation, Penny Mordaunt was the Bill Minister taking the Bill through Parliament.
“What happened was in the Bill it referred to me as a pregnant person, that’s gender neutral language, that’s the civil service preferred terminology used in those circumstances so they said.
“Personally I was quite offended by it, I thought I’m a pregnant woman, that should be honoured in the legislation.”
The remaining three candidates in the Tory leadership race
UK Parliament
Dan then asked: “And she (Ms Mordaunt) was responsible for that?”
To which Ms Braverman responded by saying: “There was a lot of opposition to that wording by Conservative backbenchers, Lords, cross-party Lords actually.
"And the record shows very clearly what Penny’s position was and that was she opposed changing the language for various reasons.”
Dan responded by asking: “She’s woke right?”
Before Ms Braverman replied: “I have to make clear, I have no gripe with Penny, she is my friend, she is my neighbouring MP and I think she’s a formidable lady, a great talent.
“I did disagree with the position she took on the wording in that legislation and I know many colleagues did in Parliament."
She later added: “I do see Penny as the woke candidate informed by the position she took last year on that Bill, I thought it was a no brainer to change the wording to woman and I don’t think there was any legal or drafting reason why it couldn’t have been done personally.”