Liberal frontbenchers have dismissed the prospect of a leadership challenge against Sussan Ley during the upcoming sitting weeks, despite days of speculation that a spill could be imminent. Shadow Treasurer Ted O'Brien said it was his 'assumption' that fellow frontbencher and key leadership contender Angus Taylor still supported Ley.
Parliament will return on Tuesday for the first full two-week sitting of the year. The speculation intensified after backbencher Andrew Hastie ruled himself out of contention, effectively clearing the way for Taylor to challenge at a time of his choosing. However, O'Brien insisted the majority of Liberals backed the current leader.
'As for whether or not there will be a challenge, I don't believe we're walking into a period where there will be. But I don't know the future either,' O'Brien told ABC's Insiders. He noted that if a frontbencher does not support the leader, convention dictates they step aside, and since Taylor has not done so, O'Brien assumes he continues to support Ley.
O'Brien declined to comment on the appropriateness of a shadow cabinet member participating in a meeting to discuss party leadership. A group of five Liberals, including Hastie and Taylor, met in Melbourne hours before a memorial service last Thursday, but no clear decision on a leadership candidate was reached. Hastie later issued a statement saying he did not 'have the support needed to become leader of the Liberal Party'.
Opposition MPs do not expect a spill in the coming week, but a move is still anticipated within months. Liberal frontbencher Anne Ruston also said she did not think there would be a spill against Ley in the coming fortnight. 'There's obviously been speculation but I quite frankly believe entirely that Sussan Ley has the support of the party room and that she will remain leader into the future,' she told Sky News.
Meanwhile, Nationals leader David Littleproud faces a separate leadership challenge from MP Colin Boyce, who has called for the Coalition to reunite. The Nationals will meet on Monday afternoon to consider a spill motion, though no serious suggestion exists that it will succeed.
