Liberals set to ditch embattled MP as candidate
A Liberal MP faces disapproval ahead of the upcoming state election despite withdrawing an eleventh-hour legal bid against his own party.
The Victorian Liberal Party has called a meeting on Friday afternoon where they will vote on whether MP Moira Deeming should be removed as a candidate in the November election.
Ms Deeming announced on Wednesday that she was withdrawing her High Court challenge against party leader Brian Loughnane; this appeal was initially intended to prevent the party from acting against him following an incident in May.
The MP, who sits in the Western Metropolitan Region’s upper house, had accused his colleague MP Matthew Guy of “violently” subduing him, but has since claimed he misunderstood the meaning of the yoke.
Footage obtained by AAP from an event in May showed Mr Guy placing his hand on Ms Deeming’s upper back as they leaned in to talk to each other.
Mr Guy told reporters in June that Ms Deeming owed him a public apology, adding that he vehemently denied anything untoward had occurred.
“Moira Deeming owes me a public apology. You owe me an apology from the prime minister and the attorney general,” he said in front of parliament.
“They can come to me the honorable and easy way, or they can come to me the hard way.”
On Wednesday, Ms. Deeming sent a 12-page statement to the party’s state leadership offering a mediation proposal that would allow it to end the high court case.
“Having all the evidence before them, the state government can now decide whether to continue mediation or regroup to disapprove me,” he said.
“I was abroad and when the story broke and I was jetlagged and I was disturbed when the confirmation meeting was called, caution gave me time to regroup, review all the facts, learn the difference between a headlock and a collar-and-tie hold, and gather my thoughts.”
Ms Deeming had tried to stop the party voting to remove her from the November election during a one-day hearing in the Supreme Court on Friday.
Although the legal action was officially withdrawn earlier this week.
The Victorian Liberal Party state executive will meet at 5.30pm on Friday and vote to disapprove, with him expected to be easily reached.
