Mark Speakman stands down as leader of NSW Liberals with Kellie Sloane expected to replace him | Liberal party

New South Wales Liberals are expected to choose former journalist and first-term MP Kellie Sloane to replace Mark Speakman as the state’s opposition leader on Friday after Speakman bowed to pressure and resigned on Thursday night.

Speakman, who began the day defending his leadership in a series of media interviews, resigned at 5pm, saying he had been visited by Sloane, who said he wanted to be leader.

“A day is a long time in politics. Half a day is a long time in politics. Even a few hours is a long time in politics,” Speakman said.

“It was clear this afternoon that there was at least one person who told me they wanted to be leader of the Liberal party, and a number of my colleagues had expressed to me their preference for renewal, regeneration and for us to have a new leader,” he said.

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In his resignation speech, Speakman sought to position the NSW Liberals differently from the federal Liberals, encouraging his colleagues to remain committed to values ​​such as protecting the environment, supporting a net zero target, promoting multiculturalism and sensible policies to increase housing as the way to win over central Australia.

Speakman said being an opposition leader was an extraordinarily difficult job and the odds were stacked against him as no opposition leader had won a term in government in NSW since the 1930s.

But he placed the blame for his decline in popularity squarely on the federal Liberals.

“I have done all I can to ensure that the modern Liberal party in New South Wales finds solutions to these challenges [and] “We were competitive at least until the May federal elections,” he said.

“I believe I enjoy almost unanimous support in the Liberal party, despite the activities of a few opponents who always act anonymously,” he said.

“Things have changed since the May election, when opinion polls were in decline and the brand damage from the federal election continued,” he said.

Speakman called on the party to continue in the direction it has set: ensuring the Liberal party engages with Gen Z, the multicultural community and women.

“This isn’t about going left or right. This is about addressing the core issues that matter to people and that matter to people right now,” he said

“The biggest thing is the cost of living. A big component of that is housing affordability. But Gen Z expects my generation to leave their world in a better place than we had, and that includes environmental stewardship and responsibility, not denying science with your head in the sand,” he said.

Senior figures in the party were increasingly alarmed at Speakman’s inability to sell the Coalition’s message in parliament using his legalistic, urbane approach.

A Decisive poll published in the Sydney Morning Herald in November showed the Coalition primary vote at 28%; poll analysts said it would turn out to be a resounding 58-42 win for Labor on a two-party preference basis.

Under this scenario, the Coalition would lose up to 10 seats and retain less than a third of the seats in parliament. Most of the vulnerable seats are held by moderates.

Minns used question time Thursday to praise Speakman and his support for net-zero emissions by 2050. He said Speakman had shown leadership in ensuring his party remained committed to the goal even as federal Liberals and state citizens abandoned it.

A party room meeting will be held on Friday, but Sloane is likely to be elected either unopposed or with a large majority. It is unclear whether right-wing party MP Alister Henskens will be a candidate.

Sloane has Speakman’s backing and is understood to have support across groups, including his own dominant group of moderates.

He served as the opposition health spokesman and scored victories against Labor by highlighting failings in emergency services. The 52-year-old has shown his ability to give premier Chris Minns goosebumps.

In a statement, Sloane thanked Speakman for his support and confirmed he would be nominated as leader on Friday. He said he would not comment further.

Sloane will be the third woman elected to lead the Coalition opposition since May. Federal opposition leader Sussan Ley was appointed to the top job after Peter Dutton lost the election. Jess Wilson was elected leader of the Victorian opposition on Wednesday.

But he faces a steep learning curve in both parliamentary tactics and policy during parliamentary recess. With the NSW election just over a year away, the Liberals have yet to announce their key policies.

The coalition has said it would expand the metro network but has not detailed the proposed lines or how they would be paid for, and its housing policy has only been partially formulated.

Speakman has announced some sites for additional housing (notably proposals to redevelop Long Bay prison in Sydney’s east and areas close to railway stations in the inner west), but Sloane faces challenges, with Labor plans for more density in the Vaucluse electorate opposed by local residents.

Sloane also takes the reins of a fragmented state coalition. NSW Citizens have broken ties with the Liberals by pushing for net zero emissions by 2050, and the parties are at odds on other environmental issues, including the culling of wild horses in national parks and the boundaries of the Great Koala national park.