Spill against Ley looms as Taylor pulls the trigger
Angus Taylor finally pulled the trigger by resigning from the Liberal shadow cabinet, signaling the imminent emergence of leadership over Sussan Ley.
Mr Taylor resigned on Wednesday night, ending weeks of mounting speculation that he would choose the party’s first female leader.
“Since the election in May last year, I have tried to be a constructive member of the leadership team and supported Sussan Ley’s leadership during a difficult period,” he told reporters.
“But it is impossible to beat around the bush. The Liberal Party is in its worst situation since it was founded in 1944.”
Although Mr Taylor has resigned from his frontbench position, he has not made a request to Ms Ley for leadership of the Liberals or for a change of leadership.
Some other Conservative MPs are also expected to resign on Thursday, increasing pressure to dissolve the leadership.
Mr Taylor’s resignation allowed him to openly rally votes ahead of a possible leadership vote.
“I don’t believe Susan Ley is in a position to lead the party because it needs to be run from there,” Mr Taylor said.
“What we need now is strong leadership, clear direction and a bold focus on our values, and the top two priorities must be protecting our way of life and restoring our standard of living.”
Some of Ms Ley’s supporters had previously suggested that a petition signed by a majority of Liberals would need to be presented before a party room meeting could be held; It was a similar tactic employed by former Liberal prime minister Malcolm Turnbull when his leadership came under threat in 2018.
The resignation came after a series of opinion polls revealed dire consequences for the Liberal Party.
The latest News Poll showed primary support for Pauline Hanson’s One Nation rose to 29 per cent, while the coalition reached a historic low of 18 per cent.
Moments before his resignation, Liberal senator Alex Antic backed Mr Taylor as leader.
“He will do a good job when the time comes, whether that’s now, tomorrow, six months or two years,” he told Sky News.
Mr Taylor tendered his resignation to Ms Ley after meeting with Israeli President Isaac Herzog on his state visit to Canberra.
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