Former Morrison government assistant minister Trevor Evans will recontest the inner Brisbane seat he lost to the Greens in a big boost to the Coalition’s bid to reclaim city electorates.

The announcement confirms months of speculation. The two-term member for the affluent seat of Brisbane and former chief of staff to Peter Dutton has been viewed within the Liberal Party as the opposition’s best bet to win one of the two south-east Queensland seats it lost to the Greens in 2022.