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Liberal leadership aspirant Andrew Hastie has rebuffed a suggestion from Angus Taylor to run as his deputy in a united conservative ticket to topple Opposition Leader Sussan Ley.
In a previously unreported phone conversation, the MPs spoke on Thursday as Taylor was in Europe, where he has been for weeks, and Hastie in Perth, according to three sources familiar with the discussion but not authorised to speak about it publicly.
According to a backer of Hastie and another unaligned right-winger, Taylor claimed Hastie could eventually take over as leader if he served for a period as Taylor’s deputy, without being clear about timing.
But the suggestion was not taken up, and Hastie made it clear he was being encouraged to run by a group of right-wing MPs and would only be dissuaded from doing so if colleagues actively talked him out of it, which they were not doing.
Hastie declined to comment about the call when asked by this masthead, while Taylor and his office were contacted for comment. One source close to Taylor said they could not confirm the discussion on a deputy role took place and downplayed it.
Hastie’s backers believe he has clear majority support in the right faction, but Taylor is winning more support among moderates who, if forced to choose, would choose him over the more hardline candidate in Hastie.
The pair are due to talk again in coming days to try to resolve the stalemate, which benefits Ley and points to a possibility she may remain in the job in a weakened state for a while longer until the right can come to an agreement. Taylor had still not returned to Australia as of Saturday afternoon, making it difficult for him to engage in the manoeuvrings.
The problem for both candidates is that many moderates, unaligned centrists and even some right-wingers believe Ley, while severely weakened after the historic Coalition rupture, made the right moves in taking on the Nationals last week.
That Coalition split is being used by her loudest critics to call for a spill, but Ley’s allies believe the rebels have misjudged the galvanising effect of Nationals leader David Littleproud’s rash actions.
The under-pressure opposition leader has spent the past 48 hours speaking to colleagues, one of whom told this masthead she had expressed calm and confidence about the leadership situation, which they feel is being overhyped by troublemakers.
“There’s not a sense of worry – quite the opposite,” one ally said.
The Liberal leader, whose strategy to attack Labor on its Bondi massacre response blew up in her face last week, has been speaking to former prime minister John Howard multiple times a day as he advises her on the crisis with the Nationals.
Ley is not planning to reshuffle her shadow ministry to put Liberals in the positions vacated by Nationals until Littleproud announces his unofficial “shadow, shadow cabinet” some time next week.
Ley’s delay is underpinned by an intent to keep alive the chance of a reconciliation, as Nationals including deputy leader Kevin Hogan, Michael McCormack, Susan McDonald, Darren Chester and others continue to discreetly talk to Liberals about an unlikely reunification.
Those Nationals who want to keep the Coalition alive are unwilling to topple Littleproud, which would be the condition of reunifying for many aggrieved Liberals.
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Paul Sakkal is chief political correspondent. He previously covered Victorian politics and has won Walkley and Quill awards. Reach him securely on Signal @paulsakkal.14Connect via Twitter or email.From our partners
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