Malcolm Turnbull‘s days as prime minister are effectively over, after key cabinet allies abandoned him.
Mathias Cormann, Michaelia Cash and Mitch Fifield have resigned from cabinet and told the prime minister he no longer has majority support in the Liberal partyroom.
Former cabinet minister Peter Dutton has sought a fresh partyroom ballot, following his unsuccessful bid on Tuesday, but the prime minister has yet to allow the meeting to go ahead.
“I can’t ignore reality,” Senator Cormann told reporters in Canberra on Thursday, after meeting with Mr Turnbull.
“When I have five cabinet colleagues telling me they supported Peter Dutton on Tuesday … that is not something I can ignore.”
He said he had taken the action “with great sadness and a heavy heart”.
Senator Cormann, who on Wednesday publicly expressed his support for the prime minister at a media conference, said he had initially took it upon himself later on Wednesday to tell Mr Turnbull he no longer was supported by party colleagues.
He said Mr Dutton represented the best chance of winning the next election.
“We’ve made that judgment and it is now a matter for the party room,” he said.
The two other ministers expressed their support for Mr Dutton.
The former home affairs minister lost a challenge 48 votes to 35 on Tuesday but now wants to have another go at toppling his leader.
“Earlier this morning, I called the prime minister to advise him that it was my judgment that the majority of the party room no longer supported his leadership,” Mr Dutton told reporters at Parliament House on Thursday morning.
“As such, I asked him to convene a meeting of the Liberal Party at which I would challenge for the leadership.”
It is expected Mr Turnbull will resign, but his office has yet to comment.
Top Comments
And it would seem Scott Morrison is going to run in his place for the leadership.
Boy, it sure is lucky these stable Liberals took over from that rabble Labor. The country would never be able to survive the infighting and leadership challenges... oh wait... I think irony just died...
They are all so awful!!! I am SO angry. What is this? Playing back room games instead of running the country! Those disloyal, treacherous bastards. So we will have Dutton (aka Mr. Potato Head) until the election, then Shorten...so how many PMs is that?
It'd have us at 7 in the last 11 years (well 6 but Rudd had 2 goes at it).