Andrew Bolt says Peter Dutton should ‘get ready to lead’, rubbishes Scott Morrison

Sky News host Andrew Bolt has declared Peter Dutton should “get ready to lead”, saying time is running out for Scott Morrison.

Sky News host Andrew Bolt has declared Peter Dutton should “get ready to lead” because Scott Morrison’s desperate hair-washing stunts make him look like a loser.

While it’s too early to write him off, the columnist has savaged the performance of the Prime Minister in an opinion piece for the Herald Sun that is being widely shared and discussed by Liberal MPs arriving in Canberra for the first sitting week of the year.

“Peter Dutton, get ready to lead. Prime Minister Scott Morrison looks finished, and is now making a fool of himself to get some love,” Bolt wrote.

“Stinking in the polls, called a liar by his own deputy, and mocked as out of touch for not knowing the price of bread, Morrison on Friday hit back. He called in at a Melbourne hairdresser’s and … washed a woman’s hair.”

If and when the Prime Minister departs the top job, Bolt said that it was Defence Minister Peter Dutton who was the best option.

“Dutton must be the Liberals’ next leader, at least if Morrison falls before the election. He is an instantly known quantity. Instantly dangerous,” he said.

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Sky News host Andrew Bolt has declared Peter Dutton should ‘get ready to lead’. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

“Of course, the Liberals may well figure it’s too late. Changing leaders this close to polling day would be hugely disruptive and look pathetic, turning near-certain defeat into a rout. What’s more, Dutton would not be keen to be prime minister for just a couple of months, only to lose.

“But time’s running out for Morrison. Getting into voters’ hair won’t save him.”

As for the other option, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, Bolt complained he is “a get-along guy not known to stand for much outside his portfolio; while Dutton is an in-your-face fighter who has called out China, sued trolls for slander and ordered our military to stop fighting for a ‘woke agenda’”.

The veteran columnist then slammed the Prime Minister’s hairdressing escapade as “sad”.

‘Prime Minister Scott Morrison looks finished, and is now making a fool of himself,’ Bolt wrote. Picture: Gaye Gerard/NCA NewsWire

Defence Minister Peter Dutton ‘is an in-your-face fighter’, Bolt declared.

“Perhaps this declared Christian actually meant to follow the example of Christ and show his humility by washing the surprised women’s feet, but couldn’t drag them up to the basin,” he said.

“So he instead washed her hair. All for the media’s cameras.

“It was sad. Would John Howard have pulled such a stunt? Robert Menzies? Margaret Thatcher? Reagan?.”

Bolt noted that Mr Morrison had now been called a liar by the French President, former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull, one of his (unnamed) Cabinet ministers and now Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce, who sent a text back when he was fuming on the backbench calling Morrison “a hypocrite and a liar … over a long time”.

“A strong leader could perhaps shrug all this off – turn a negative into a positive – by saying it’s the criticism you’d expect when fighting like hell for Australia,” he said.

The veteran columnist then slammed the Prime Minister’s hairdressing escapade as “sad”. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Andrew Henshaw

“Indeed, Howard as prime minister survived being called ‘mean and tricky’ in a memo by his then Liberal president.

“But Morrison cannot stand such criticism. When journalists savage him – as they did again last week – he blusters to justify himself. He doesn’t fire back with both barrels as the infinitely self-assured Bob Hawke did: ‘It’s a ridiculous question … you are a damned impertinence’.”

The columnist said the Prime Minister “runs from the culture wars, runs from real debate on global warming. As the saying goes, this dog won’t hunt. Name one blow Morrison has landed on Labor in six months.”

“Result: Morrison is not just despised by the Left, but disrespected by the Right. His divided government is a devastating eight points behind Labor in Newspoll, with an election due in May at the latest. If it loses more than two seats, net, Labor could replace it with the help of Left-leaning independents and the Greens. Right now, it looks like losing eight,” he said.

“It’s early to write off Morrison completely, but is he weaker or stronger than he was when he won that ‘miracle election’ last time, by the skin of his teeth? Liberal MPs know the answer, and must now wonder who should take over as leader – and when.”

Originally published as Andrew Bolt says Peter Dutton should ‘get ready to lead’, rubbishes Scott Morrison