Barnaby Joyce ‘strongly considering’ move to One Nation after quitting National party | Barnaby Joyce

Barnaby Joyce has said he will resign from the National party, telling parliament he was seeking a “better position” from the Coalition backbenchers and claiming he was being ignored by the party leadership.

The backbencher has not confirmed whether he will join One Nation as widely speculated or remain an independent crossbencher. But he said he was “strongly considering” joining the party, reaffirming his plan not to run in the next election as a New England member but keeping the door open to a Senate race.

In a brief statement to the House of Representatives before question time on Thursday, parliament’s last day of the year, Joyce claimed the Coalition backbenchers had been left in the “bootstraps”.

“When I announced this about five weeks ago, I had no communication with the leader of the National Party or the deputy leader, other than a 90-second conversation with the leader. So it’s disappointing,” he said.

“So after 30 years with the National Party, I am resigning from the party. This leaves me with a heavy heart. And I am sorry for any pain this will cause. I am truly sorry.”

Joyce vowed to “continue this fight” to win the support of regional Australia, but said he would try to “put myself in a better position than the opposition Coalition backbencher”.

Prior to his speech, Joyce took his normal seat in the Coalition seat in the hall. In the next seat, independents Monique Ryan and Sophie Scamps called out to Joyce, patting the seats behind them and motioning for her to join them on the next bench.

“This place is beautiful,” Ryan said with a laugh.

Joyce left the hall immediately after his speech and held a brief press conference, saying he was still considering his next steps. Joyce said he tried to repair the broken relationship with Nationals leadership but felt compelled to leave.

“It is the party’s right to elect its leaders and you must respect that. If you cannot establish an effective working relationship, find a more effective way of doing your job,” he said.

Earlier, his colleague Michael McCormack said the former deputy prime minister should “consider what the National party has given him”.

McCormack, Joyce’s one-time leadership rival, said he would be disappointed if the New England MP left the party and made a last-ditch appeal for him to stay in the tent.

“I spent an hour with him yesterday. I gave him my offer. He knows my feelings,” McCormack said.

“We get on well and I hope he truly reflects on the rare honor the National Party has bestowed upon him, that of being deputy prime minister, and let’s see what happens.”

McCormack said Joyce had done “great things and a lot of good things for regional Australia” during his time in parliament.

When asked what it would be like if Joyce appeared in One Nation’s orange colors instead, McCormack joked: “At least it wouldn’t be teal.”

Speaking to Sky News, Nationals Senator Bridget McKenzie acknowledged that Joyce “did serious things and his legacy is important”.

“If it goes to One Nation, this will be thrown away,” he said, calling it a “protest party”.

Joyce has said in recent days that he expects to say more about his political future by the end of this week. One Nation’s Pauline Hanson and Nationals leader David Littleproud declined to comment.

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Several national sources appeared to agree with Joyce leaving the party. Some said they would welcome drawing a line under the long-running political saga after weeks of speculation and public courtship between Joyce and Hanson, including Monday’s sandwich press steak dinner.

Some Nationals will be relieved to see Joyce go, but others believed his departure would deal a major blow to the Nationals’ hopes of retaining regional seats against the growing One Nation vote.

Nationals senator Matt Canavan, Joyce’s friend and former chief of staff, claimed on Sky News on Tuesday that this storyline had gone on “longer than Days of Our Lives” and said people were “tired of it”.