Party officials block Andrew Laming’s preselection bid

Queensland LNP officials have blocked embattled MP Andrew Laming’s preselection bid for the federal seat of Bowman, which he has won at six elections.

The LNP state executive met on Monday night to vote on whether Mr Laming should be allowed to fight for his seat, hours after he faced the party’s powerful candidate vetting committee.

Queensland MP Andrew Laming.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

An LNP spokesman confirmed the vetting committee met with Mr Laming on Monday and recommended his preselection not proceed.

“The LNP’s state executive has accepted the Applicant Review Committee’s recommendation that Dr Laming not proceed as a candidate and has reopened nominations for the seat of Bowman,” the spokesman said.

An LNP source said the executive team voted unanimously to stop Mr Laming proceeding.

“He won’t be a candidate for preselection,” they said.

Mr Laming announced last month he would quit at the next election in response to a series of damaging allegations of online abuse and harassment of women.

At the request of Prime Minister Scott Morrison, he agreed to undergo counselling and empathy training and remained on leave.

Nominations had already closed for Bowman, with Gold Coast businesswoman Fran Ward the only other candidate.

The field widened to three candidates after party headquarters voted last month to reopen preselection.

Ms Ward, who is chair of the LNP’s small business policy committee, will jockey for the party’s endorsement alongside Henry Pike, who ran as the local candidate at the Queensland state election, and the party’s honorary legal adviser Maggie Forrest.

Mr Laming holds Bowman with a 10.24 per cent margin and has served in the Australian Parliament since 2004.

He remains in the Coalition party room and is expected to return to work when Parliament sits in the second week in May, when the federal budget will be handed down.