Abbott leadership terminal, says Liberal MP
Expectations are growing there will be a leadership spill next week, after a WA Liberal MP broke cover to declare he no longer had confidence in Prime Minister Tony Abbott.
Dennis Jensen told The West Australian that Mr Abbott was “terminal” and that a new leader needed to be found “the sooner the better”.
Dr Jensen, who played a critical role in toppling Malcolm Turnbull as Liberal leader in 2009 by co-sponsoring a spill motion with fellow WA Liberal Wilson Tuckey, told the PM by text that he had withdrawn his support a few days before the PM’s decision to knight Prince Philip.
Liberal MPs and senators meet for their first partyroom meeting of the year next Tuesday in Canberra.
While several MPs today called for calm, demanding an end to sniping, MPs and ministers alike said Tuesday loomed as D-Day for Mr Abbott.
Dr Jensen said Mr Abbott had to go as leader.
“In my view, yes. The sooner the better, from my perspective,” Dr Jensen said. “I think he is terminal.”
Asked if he had a preferred candidate as leader, Dr Jensen said: “Not right at the moment, no-one’s sort of put their hands up. I mean, I’d have to wait and see what candidates stand.
“Scott Morrison over Malcolm Turnbull, yes.”
BISHOP RULES OUT LEADERSHIP CHALLENGE
Asked what his preference would be if Julie Bishop was a candidate, he said: “I’d have to think about that closely.”
“In terms of those potentials, it could all be highly theoretical. The feedback that I’m getting is that Scott’s not really that interested, that Scott’s just shoring up Abbott’s position, or attempting to.
“The situation at the moment is untenable. We can’t do a lot worse at the moment.
“We are going backwards and for Tony just to get to a neutral position again is an almost impossible ask. Even if he changed absolutely in terms of style and substance and he became the best prime minister that you could hope for it would take that long for people to change that view.”
Ms Bishop has told Cabinet colleagues she is not campaigning to unseat Prime Minister Tony Abbott, nor will she challenge him.
It is understood the Foreign Minister has sought to close down attempts to portray her as disloyal.
“I have told my Cabinet colleagues that I am not campaigning for the job as Prime Minister, that I am not ringing the backbench asking for support and that I am not counting any numbers,” she told The West Australian.
“I have been the deputy for seven years and I’ve not before and I will not challenge the leader. And as I’ve said repeatedly, I support the leader.”
Sky News reported earlier today that Mr Abbott asked Ms Bishop on Sunday to guarantee she would not challenge him and that she refused to give that guarantee.
Some Liberal MPs believe the leak to Sky News was designed to depict Ms Bishop as “Lady Macbeth”.
As The West Australian reported yesterday, Liberal MPs have been urging Ms Bishop to inform the PM that he has lost their confidence.
Mr Abbott refused to confirm he had sought assurances from Ms Bishop that she wouldn’t challenge.
“ I’m not going to play these insider games. I mean, I know the media want to play insider games but I don't think the public are interested in that. I think the public want a Government which gets on with doing the right thing by the people of Australia and that’s what I’m focused on,” he said.
