David Speirs has denied claims he threatened to quit as Liberal leader if Anne Ruston was deposed from top Senate ticket spot

David Speirs has denied claims he threatened to quit as Liberal leader if his party’s most senior female federal politician was deposed from top Senate ticket spot.

David Speirs has denied claims he threatened to quit as Liberal leader if his party’s most senior female federal politician was deposed from the top Senate ticket spot.

The party plunged into a new gender firestorm after firebrand conservative backbencher Alex Antic on Saturday unseated former federal cabinet minister Anne Ruston as the first Senate candidate.

David Speirs with Shadow Minister for Health Ashton Hurn. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Naomi Jellicoe

While both politicians will be sent back to Canberra after the 2025 federal election, critics sniped the result - putting two men and one woman in winnable positions - worsened the party’s “women problem”.

Senator David Fawcett, who is seeking a fourth term, won the third spot over political adviser Leah Blyth.

After the result former Liberal senator Cory Bernardi claimed Mr Speirs had told Liberal state council delegates he would “quit” as leader if Ms Ruston “wasn’t number one”.

Mr Speirs would not comment but his spokesman said he denied making such statements.

On Sunday, first term MP Ashton Hurn, who has been touted as a future leader, backed Mr Speirs and said he would not quit.

“The reality is, David Speirs is the leader of the Liberal Party, he’s working extraordinarily hard in the seat of Dunstan,” she said.

“He will be our leader at the next election. He’s doing a fantastic job.”

Ms Hurn, who was speaking at Tanunda in her Schubert electorate, said Mr Speirs was continuing to work hard to support his party and had spent the weekend campaigning for the Dunstan by-election.

Premier Peter Malinauskas also weighed in on the “extraordinary” row.

“Here we are, less than a week out from a by election and we’ve got open warfare and the Liberal Party people backgrounding against each other... it is mind blowing,” he said. “They just can’t help themselves.”

Asked about Mr Speirs’ alleged comments he replied: “Well, if you say you’re going to do something, you should do it. But it’s just not what occupies our minds.”