Victorian Opposition Leader John Pesutto will enter 2025 with his grip on the Liberal Party hanging by a thread after a vote to reinstate the rebel MP he ousted and to whom he then lost a defamation suit ended in a tied count.

Mr Pesutto broke the deadlock on the motion to allow Moira Deeming back into the party room with his casting vote against, but the win on paper was unconvincing to either side and almost certainly ensures 18 months of turmoil in the party is not over.