Cities Minister Jamie Briggs admits he was limping when he left Tony Abbott’s farewell

HE still insists he tore his knee ligaments running — not tabletop dancing — but Federal Cities Minister Jamie Briggs has revealed he was limping when he left the now notorious farewell for Tony Abbott.

• MPs to escape punishment for breaking table
• Abbott will pay for table

HE still insists he tore his knee ligaments running — not tabletop dancing — but Federal Cities Minister Jamie Briggs has revealed he was limping when he left the now notorious farewell for Tony Abbott.

Mr Briggs was confined to a wheelchair the morning after Mr Abbott was rolled from the Liberal leadership by Malcolm Turnbull.

Mr Abbott this week offered to pay for repairs to an Italian marble table that was smashed during the impromptu wake in the Cabinet anteroom at Parliament House.

Mr Briggs has always maintained that he tore his anterior cruciate ligament while running.

But the South Australian minister has now admitted during an interview with ABC Radio 891 that he was limping when he left the Cabinet suite.

“Some of the reports about dancing on tables and so forth are just wrong,’’ Mr Briggs said.

“How the table broke. I actually don’t know — I wasn’t there.

“I don’t have a piece of the table in my office. I had at that point limped back to my office — if I can put it that way.’’

Jamie Briggs is wheeled to a party room meeting at Parliament House.

Asked if that meant he had already hurt his leg when he left the party, Mr Briggs responded: “Mmm. That may be the case.”

Mr Briggs said he had hurt his knee “during some events’’.

“I said I’d hurt my knee running — which is true.’’

Mr Briggs denied the event was a party, saying it had started out as close colleagues of the deposed prime minister and senior staff sitting around having a chat.

“Then as the night got a little later it was ... I guess we were more standing up.’’

Parliament House cleaners reported the marble table had been damaged the next morning but parliamentary officials were denied access to be Cabinet room to assess the damage for several days.

Fragments of marble from the table were reported to have been sighted in the offices of several ministers.