Moderate Liberal MP Dave Sharma, who replaced Malcolm Turnbull, has become the latest target of an activist-backed grassroots movement to unseat Coalition MPs as a protest against the government’s position on climate change and other issues.

With similar campaigns to install Independents already afoot in half a dozen Coalition electorates, the “Wentworth Independents” say they have amassed pledges of $300,000 so far to run a campaign and enlisted almost 100 volunteers.