Opposition Leader David Speirs under renewed scrutiny following claims frontbench colleague Vincent Tarzia will mount a challenge

Less than a year into his term, Opposition Leader David Speirs is under renewed scrutiny as talk of new challengers emerges.

• Editor’s view: Speirs’ head in sand

The leadership of the state Liberal Party is under renewed scrutiny amid claims that Opposition Leader David Speirs will face a challenge from a frontbench colleague.

Amid fevered speculation about his future, Mr Speirs rubbished the suggestion as “faux crystal ball gazing” and said his leadership of the party had never been stronger.

Well-placed Liberal sources told The Advertiser there were growing concerns within the party that Mr Speirs’ team was failing to hold the state government to account, especially in the areas of health and the economy.

They said former speaker Vincent Tarzia had the support to successfully challenge for the leadership, and was poised to strike.

But Mr Tarzia dismissed the claim.

Less than a year into his leadership, there are claims David Speirs is about to face a challenge. Picture: Matt Turner

“I can rule that out, this is news to me,” he said.

Mr Speirs said he was “here for the long haul”.

“I choose not to focus on faux crystal ball gazing but the continued success of my team, and holding Peter Malinauskas and Labor to account for breaking their promise to fix ramping,” he said.

The Liberal sources said any poll confirming Mr Speirs’ unpopularity in the electorate would accelerate Mr Tarzia’s bid.

But colleagues from across the factional divide on Thursday sprung to his defence and lamented damaging leadership speculation.

“The truth is David Speirs has the full support of his Liberal team and, if this fanciful rumour of a leadership ballot occurred today, he’d receive even more votes than he did during his large margin of victory after the last election,” a senior moderate said.

A senior conservative said “the Liberal Party team backs David Speirs 100 per cent and he is not going anywhere”.

Vincent Tarzia ruled out a challenge for leadership of the Liberal Party. Picture: The Advertiser/Morgan Sette

Following former premier Steven Marshall’s disastrous election result nearly a year ago, Mr Speirs won the leadership convincingly over rivals Adelaide Hills MP Josh Teague and renegade South-East MP Nick McBride.

The newly-elected Schubert MP Ashton Hurn, who represents the Barossa Valley, has also been suggested as a potential contender for the leader position, although her colleagues have played down any chance of the move before the 2026 election.

Party number-crunchers claimed, if a ballot was today, Mr Speirs would command 90 per cent of the party room votes.

But others have questioned some of his recent erratic behaviour, which included an incident on a Liberal trip to Mount Gambier during which Mr Speirs left a dinner early over what witnesses described as a dispute over food.

He has also faced criticism over his push to get more women into the party, which has gone unheeded by the membership.

Jack Batty won the seat of Bragg at a by-election following the resignation of Vickie Chapman, and Ben Hood recently filled a vacancy in the upper house created by the resignation of Stephen Wade.