Andrew Hastie rules out challenging Sussan Ley for Liberal leadership, clearing path for Angus Taylor | Australian politics

Andrew Hastie has confirmed he will not contest the Liberal party leadership, paving the way for fellow right-winger Angus Taylor to challenge Sussan Ley.

After Hastie ended a week of speculation on Friday with a statement confirming he would not raise his hand, a source close to Taylor said it was “a question of when”, not if the shadow defense secretary would launch a formal bid to sack Ley.

Multiple sources have said Taylor will not push for a change of leadership when the federal parliament meets on Tuesday.

The two men met face to face in Melbourne on Thursday but failed to agree on who would challenge Ley, the result of the Coalition’s second split in eight months.

But Hastie broke the deadlock on Friday afternoon by admitting he did not have the numbers to unseat Ley.

“There has been speculation over the last few weeks regarding the future leadership of the Liberal Party of Australia,” Hastie said in a statement.

“I have previously stated that I would welcome the opportunity to serve my party and our country as leader of the Liberal party.

“But after consulting with colleagues last week and respecting the honest feedback they have given me, it is clear that I do not have the support I need to be leader of the Liberal party.

“I want to make it clear that I will not be challenging the leadership of the Liberal party on that basis.”

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Hastie’s announcement comes after Ley earlier on Friday gave the Nationals an eight-day window to reassemble the Coalition, then proceed with a Liberal-only front line.

The Opposition leader handed over former National portfolios to current Liberal shadow ministers in a depute capacity for the next sitting week from Tuesday.

Ley said that if reforms are not made in the Coalition by February 9, the start of the second session week, he will appoint six MPs to the shadow cabinet and two to the shadow ministry of foreign affairs.

The decision was approved at a meeting of Ley’s Liberal leadership team, which includes Taylor, on Friday.

Ley won the Liberal leadership after last year’s federal election, defeating Taylor by 29 votes to 25.