Hastie leadership threat looms for Ley, opposition under pressure to dump net zero; Medieval tower collapses in Rome, trapping worker underneath rubble

Opposition Leader Susan Ley We face growing pressure to reduce Liberal Party pledge to net zero As he fights to keep the coalition together and combat looming threats to his leadership.

Senior Conservative members of Ley’s leadership team, led by Angus Taylor, Michaelia Cash and James Paterson, have changed their stance on the 2050 pledge after a dramatic few days. Nationals set the target aside and Ley was hit with record low voting.

As this imprint first reported on Monday, the National Party’s move persuaded senior Liberals, including some of Ley’s supporters, to abandon the net-zero target.

At a crisis meeting on Monday morning, Ley’s top right-wing lieutenants argued that the net zero slogan had become too toxic to be sustained in any form, according to sources familiar with the talks who were not authorized to speak publicly. Only one of the eight party leaders, moderate leader Anne Ruston, advocated maintaining net zero.

Unmerciful Newspaper survey published Australian Monday’s Coalition preselection vote showed a record low of 24 per cent, prompting private talks with his deputy Ted O’Brien about the leadership prospects of right-wing rivals Angus Taylor and Andrew Hastie.

Taylor is likely to take over if Ley’s position becomes unsustainable this year, according to sources from both groups.

Hastie is seen as a more likely challenger in the event of a leadership challenge next year after spending some time developing his support base and policy agenda. Sources not authorized to speak to Hastie publicly said he is increasingly determined to run for the leadership as early as next year, although he wants to spend more time with his family.