Police are investigating a letter containing a death threat that was delivered to defeated Conservative leadership candidate Penny Mordaunt.
The sender of the letter, sent to her Portsmouth North constituency office, threatened to “shoot her in the head” and “kill her family”.
Ms Mordaunt’s national profile was raised during her run to become party leader, and with it prime minister, and the death threat arrived before she was knocked out of the race.
“At 11.50am on July 22, we received a report of a letter containing threats to kill a Portsmouth woman and her family which was sent to her office in Lakeside, North Harbour,” a Hampshire police spokeswoman said.
“We attended and safeguarding measures were put in place to minimise the risk to the woman and her family, employees and the wider community.”
The spokeswoman said police inquiries into the incident are ongoing and that the case has been referred to the parliamentary liaison team.
“We take the safeguarding of our MPs incredibly seriously and there are robust systems in place to ensure they can carry out their job safely,” she added.
Ms Mordaunt's office has been approached for comment.
A former Royal Navy reservist, Ms Mordaunt said during her campaign that the UK’s leadership “needs to become a little less about the leader and a lot more about the ship”.
She was never a front-runner among MPs but some of them fear her departure from the race lessens the chances of them holding on to power at the next election.
Of the final three candidates, she had the most popular appeal among both Tory membership and the wider population.
The field has been whittled down to Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss, who will first make their cases to party members over the next six weeks and then to the British public when one of them is announced as prime minister on September 5.
Before entering Parliament, Ms Mordaunt worked in communications in the UK and the US, and played a role in the presidential campaign of George W Bush as head of foreign press.
She first stood for election in 2005 in Portsmouth, and while she was unsuccessful, she gained redemption five years later in 2010, winning the seat for David Cameron's Tories.
Ms Mordaunt has held a variety of ministerial positions and two Cabinet roles: former prime minister Theresa May appointed her secretary of state for international development in 2017 and then in 2019, after the sacking of Gavin Williamson, she was elevated to defence secretary — a position she held for only 85 days, with Boris Johnson firing her after he became prime minister.
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Tickets and schedule: Entry is free for all spectators. Gates open at 9am. Play commences at 10am
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The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
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England 353 and 313-8 dec
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Non-profit arts studio Tashkeel launched this annual initiative with the intention of supporting budding designers in the UAE. This year, three talents were chosen from hundreds of applicants to be a part of the sixth creative development programme. These are architect Abdulla Al Mulla, interior designer Lana El Samman and graphic designer Yara Habib.
The trio have been guided by experts from the industry over the course of nine months, as they developed their own products that merge their unique styles with traditional elements of Emirati design. This includes laboratory sessions, experimental and collaborative practice, investigation of new business models and evaluation.
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Picture of Joumblatt and Hariri breaking bread sets Twitter alight
Mr Joumblatt’s pessimism regarding the Lebanese political situation didn’t stop him from enjoying a cheerful dinner on Tuesday with several politicians including Mr Hariri.
Caretaker Culture Minister Ghattas Khoury tweeted a picture of the group sitting around a table at a discrete fish restaurant in Beirut’s upscale Sodeco area.
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“They really enjoyed their time”, remembers the restaurant owner. “Mr Hariri was taking selfies with everybody”.
Mr Hariri and Mr Joumblatt often have dinner together to discuss recent political developments.
Mr Joumblatt was a close ally of Mr Hariri’s assassinated father, former prime minister Rafik Hariri. The pair were leading figures in the political grouping against the 15-year Syrian occupation of Lebanon that ended after mass protests in 2005 in the wake of Rafik Hariri’s murder. After the younger Hariri took over his father’s mantle in 2004, the relationship with Mr Joumblatt endured.
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With so much of Lebanese politics agreed in late-night meetings behind closed doors, the media and pundits put significant weight on how regularly, where and with who senior politicians meet.
In the picture, alongside Messrs Khoury and Hariri were Mr Joumbatt and his wife Nora, PSP politician Wael Abou Faour and Egyptian ambassador to Lebanon Nazih el Nagari.
The picture of the dinner led to a flurry of excitement on Twitter that it signified an imminent government formation. “God willing, white smoke will rise soon and Walid Beik [a nickname for Walid Joumblatt] will accept to give up the minister of industry”, one user replied to the tweet. “Blessings to you…We would like you to form a cabinet”, wrote another.
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Getting there
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly to Johannesburg or Cape Town daily. Flights cost from about Dh3,325, with a flying time of 8hours and 15 minutes. From there, fly South African Airlines or Air Namibia to Namibia’s Windhoek Hosea Kutako International Airport, for about Dh850. Flying time is 2 hours.
The stay
Wilderness Little Kulala offers stays from £460 (Dh2,135) per person, per night. It is one of seven Wilderness Safari lodges in Namibia; www.wilderness-safaris.com.
Skeleton Coast Safaris’ four-day adventure involves joining a very small group in a private plane, flying to some of the remotest areas in the world, with each night spent at a different camp. It costs from US$8,335.30 (Dh30,611); www.skeletoncoastsafaris.com
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