Liberal spill 2018: How ‘Fixer’ Christopher Pyne played key role in coup to elect Scott Morrison

AS Peter Dutton’s supporters gained confidence in their belief that they could oust Malcolm Turnbull, they had little idea about the counter-strategy that SA’s Christopher Pyne was working towards. Get the inside story of the Canberra coup — and see the MPs’ petition that brought down a prime minister.

• Analysis: Kingmaker puts SA back in winner’s circle
• Recap the day as Scott Morrison got elected PM
• The SA Dutton backers who swung to ScoMo
• The problems PM will face against Shorten
• Tony Abbott answers the question no one asked

TENSIONS had been simmering for years, ever since September 14, 2015, when Tony Abbott was unceremoniously rolled by Malcolm Turnbull.

It was often portrayed as a fight for the soul of the Liberal Party; the moderate Turnbull vs the conservative Abbott and his loyal ally, Eric Abetz.

But the truth is this week’s strike was more about one small window of opportunity than the culmination of any long-term, orchestrated campaign.

Mr Turnbull’s Monday capitulation on the 26 per cent emissions target as part of the National Energy Guarantee had the opposite effect intended — it emboldened his opponents to launch a rapid strike.

THE TWO SMILING MEN: The Dutton camp didn’t factor the counter-strategy by Christopher Pyne that ended in Scott Morrison becoming the new PM. AAP Image/Lukas Coch

As reports flowed that Mr Dutton was preparing a challenge — despite earlier pledging his support for the PM — Mr Turnbull and his allies, including key lieutenant SA MP Christopher Pyne, attempted to wrong-foot opponents and called a party room meeting.

A senior conservative Liberal MP described Tuesday’s meeting as a “stunt” that had largely blindsided MPs.

But as a spill was called, Mr Dutton, whom one MP said should have stayed seated, put up his hand for the vacant leadership and found himself with the support of 35 of his colleagues. This was disastrous for Mr Turnbull.

If his opponents could gather this support from a standing start, what would happen if they were given a little more time?

It sent shivers down the spine of his supporters. Mr Turnbull’s leadership was declared terminal in the next day's papers.

By mid-morning, the Dutton camp claimed 40 out of 43 votes to force another party room spill, but it was clearly incorrect. As the afternoon and night wore on, the pressure to deliver the signatures grew stronger.

It was led by a younger crop of conservatives, including Andrew Hastie, a former soldier from WA, South Australia’s Tony Pasin, ACT senator Zed Seselja and assistant minister to the treasurer, Michael Sukkar.

THOSE WHO SIGNED THE PETITION

The Liberal Party parliamentarians who signed the leadership spill petition. Picture: Bevan Shields

The Liberal Party parliamentarians who signed the leadership spill petition. Picture: Bevan Shields.

The Liberal Party parliamentarians who signed the leadership spill petition. Picture: Bevan Shields.

The Liberal Party parliamentarians who signed the leadership spill petition. Picture: Bevan Shields

There were concerns the push was struggling, but Dutton supporters remained confident. A well-placed source said Dutton backers would have the numbers for a second strike because they had secured former finance minister Mathias Cormann, who only hours earlier had stood side-by-side with the PM to announce the failure of the company tax plans.

When this came to pass, it was a hammer blow and a catalyst for Mr Dutton to formally launch challenge No. 2 on Thursday morning.

But the Turnbull camp would not go quietly into the night. It hatched a plan to demand 43 signatures before calling another meeting.

Their reasoning: If people wanted another challenge just days later, they could at least put their names to it.

Mr Turnbull’s inner sanctum, including Mr Pyne, also drew attention to legal advice which cast doubt over Mr Dutton’s eligibility to even sit in parliament due to interests in a child care company.

South Australian Liberal parliamentarians — David Fawcett, Nicolle Flint and Tony Pasin — who signed the petition.

But with the PM’s situation increasingly hopeless as resignation followed resignation, he held a press conference to say, should he receive the 43 signatures, he would hold a meeting at noon the next day to decide the leadership. Should a spill motion succeed, he’d quit.

The then treasurer Scott Morrison then declared he would run and, later, former foreign affairs minister Julie Bishop decided to throw her hat in the ring.

As the hours counted down, Mr Pyne became the emissary between Mr Morrison and Mr Turnbull.

The deal was Mr Turnbull would work the numbers in a last-ditch bid to defeat a spill motion at Friday’s party room meeting, should it proceed.

These would then be transferred to Mr Morrison, ensuring his support base was Turnbull loyalists. Essentially, the stop-Dutton campaign was transferring its support to Mr Morrison’s bid for the prime ministership.

In the hours ahead of the vote, Mr Pyne shuttled between the Prime Minister’s and Treasurer’s office.

Sources said a key role was calming Mr Turnbull and defusing any conspiratorial thoughts about Mr Morrison having engineered a byzantine takeover. The plan held.

The spill motion passed 45 votes to 40. The bloc transferred to Mr Morrison, who captured five extra votes and secured the prime ministership by 45 votes to 40.

In the aftermath of the vote, Dutton supporters were declaring publicly and privately that unity was now the only way forward.

Frustrations were clear that the coup had been horribly mismanaged by some “youngsters” who had failed to seek advice from those with more political skills and tactical experience.