Nationals MP Colin Boyce to challenge David Littleproud for leadership, saying party is headed off ‘political cliff’ | National party

Nationals MP Colin Boyce will challenge David Littleproud for the leadership after declaring the party had “committed political suicide” by ending the Coalition.

The Flynn MP said he would table a motion to dissolve the National Party leadership at a party room meeting on Monday and stand as a candidate.

National MPs immediately rejected Boyce’s hopes and were confident that Littleproud would retain the support of most colleagues despite domestic unrest over his role in the second Coalition implosion in eight months.

“I will table a motion in the National party room on Monday afternoon to give my colleagues a choice, because the reality is that if they follow the course they are on now we will be going over the political cliff,” Boyce told Sky News on Tuesday.

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Confirmation of the Nationals’ leadership leak comes amid speculation that Sussan Ley could also face a challenge when federal parliament meets next week. Ley’s allies continue to doubt that a challenge will emerge, with conservative candidates Angus Taylor and Andrew Hastie yet to announce their intentions.

Boyce said Ley had committed “political suicide” following the National Party’s departure from the Coalition following Labour’s decision to accept the resignations of three senators who took to the floor to oppose hate speech laws.

“The National Party will now face a right-wing attack from One Nation if it goes to the next election alone,” Boyce said, arguing that if the National Party continued as an independent party it would have difficulty raising donations and lose staff numbers and other resources.

Boyce, who was first elected to the federal parliament in 2022, is a founding member of a club set up to promote climate science denial and has previously described the power cuts as a “huge political opportunity”.

At a meeting in 2023, the Boyce group urged like-minded colleagues to adopt a “do nothing” or “tough love” strategy that would allow power cuts to generate political opposition to net-zero policies.

Littleproud issued a statement on Wednesday defending his record as leader but said he respected the views of the party room.

“I have always respected the decisions and guidance of the Party Room, including the right to voice differing opinions… I stand by my record as Nationals leader and what our party room has achieved through important policy work and advocacy for regional, rural and remote Australia,” he said.

The decision to leave Ley’s front row en masse in solidarity with the three senators, effectively ending the Coalition, was taken in the Nationals’ party room last Wednesday.

Sources confirmed Boyce did not attend that meeting or any other during the chaotic week in Canberra.

Speculation is rife that Boyce will soon follow former national leader and onetime ally Barnaby Joyce and defect to One Nation.

In the Sky News interview, Boyce denied switching to One Nation but said he had seen support for the right-wing party growing in his central Queensland seat.

“There’s a big fluctuation here [for One Nation]he said.

“A lot of people tell me you should join One Nation. That doesn’t apply to me, I’m a member of the LNP. [Liberal-National party]. “I have an obligation to do the best I can for the LNP and indeed the National Party in Canberra,” he said.

Former national leader Michael McCormack told Guardian Australia he was aware Boyce was unhappy about the Coalition split but believed Littleproud’s position was “pretty safe”.

McCormack pointed out that the fact that colleagues no longer in shadow cabinet positions had lost pay, resources and staff could create a “curveball” in Littleproud’s popularity.

“I think David is pretty safe with the numbers,” he said. “I’m disappointed that we’re where we are because it could have so easily been avoided… it’s unfortunate that we continue to have these arguments and talk about ourselves instead of bread and butter issues.”

National senator Matt Canavan, who ran against Littleproud in the leadership vote last year, said he would not stand this time.

“I’m proud that all Nats, including our leader David, have stood up for our principles. Now it’s time for cooler heads to prevail,” he told Guardian Australia.

Another Nationals MP, speaking on condition of anonymity, admitted Boyce did not have the support of the party room.

However, the MP was unsure whether another colleague would run alongside Boyce, stating that “no one” within the Nationals was happy with the current situation between the Coalition parties and that there was some internal anger at Littleproud’s actions.

Another senior citizen, speaking anonymously to Guardian Australia, also sought to dismiss the appeal, saying Boyce was unlikely to have the support of any members of the party room.