Mordaunt Scrambles to Edit PM Campaign Video After Paralympian’s Protest
Trade Minister Aims for Top Job
On Sunday morning, international trade minister Penny Mordaunt threw her hat in the ring for Prime Minister. She declared the UK’s leadership needs to focus less on the individual leader and more on the nation’s direction, saying the country “needs to become a little less about the leader and a lot more about the ship.”
Paralympian Demands Cut From Campaign Clip
Mordaunt’s debut campaign video featured a brief two-second clip of Jonnie Peacock racing at the 2012 London Paralympics. The sprint hero wasn’t impressed. Taking to Twitter, Peacock slammed the use of his footage, tweeting, “I officially request to be removed from this video. Please, nothing blue.”
Rapid Revisions: Blue Footage Scrubbed
Just over five hours later, Mordaunt shared a revamped version. The controversial Paralympics shots were swapped for a plane flying over the camera.
But that wasn’t all:
- A smiling police officer was replaced with a tractor ploughing a field.
- Cricketer Jonny Bairstow gave way to the Angel Of The North sculpture.
- The Welsh football team’s June victory celebration was removed.
- Foreign-uniformed soldiers were swapped out for iconic Westminster scenes.
- Professor Dame Sarah Gilbert’s footage, spotlighting the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, was replaced by generic healthcare worker shots.
The quick edits show how sensitive and image-conscious Mordaunt’s campaign has become. But critics may see it as a sign of instability just as she pursues Downing Street.
