Scott Morrison threatens to intervene in NSW Liberal preselection debacle

Scott Morrison has scolded his state’s executive for delaying the confirmation of candidates, with a deal to get them preselected declared “dead on arrival”.

Infighting and “factional rubbish” are hampering the preselection of Liberal candidates in crucial NSW seats with Prime Minister Scott Morrison declaring his own state’s executive should “get out of the way” if they can’t reach an agreement.

Mr Morrison blamed “childish games” for delays in the selection of Liberal candidates in seats like Warringah, Hughes and Dobell, as well as the confirmation of MPs including cabinet ministers Sussan Ley and Alex Hawke mere months before Australians are expected to go to the polls.

Scott Morrison’s candidates are facing hurdles at the state executive level. Picture: Gary Ramage

“Sussan Ley is an outstanding cabinet minister. Now if (the NSW executive) can’t endorse her, well, they should get out of the way and let the federal executive ensure that we can get that done,” he told 2GB’s Ray Hadley.

“But those playing games in the NSW parliament, the Liberal Party, I should say, the organisation need to ensure they focus on winning this election for the goodness of the Australian people and forget their factional rubbish.”

Sussan Ley is yet to be confirmed as the Liberal candidate for Farrer. Picture: Gary Ramage

Alex Hawke is yet to be confirmed as the Liberal candidate for Mitchell. Picture: AAP Image/Mick Tsikas

Anger within the NSW division of the party has been growing for months amid accusations of deliberate delaying tactics designed to force federal intervention, allowing Mr Morrison and his allies to install their preferred candidates at the last minute.

There is strong support for retaining the previously agreed model of holding plebicites to give every member a vote in who is preselected in their area, but with the election due by May time is running out.

Earlier this week barrister Jane Buncle withdrew her nomination for the once-safe blue ribbon seat of Warringah, with multiple Liberal sources claiming it was widely believed the party could not win the electorate back from Indepdenent MP Zali Steggall with so little campaign time.

Moderate powerbroker North Sydney MP Trent Zimmerman is also facing a challenge for his seat.

One Liberal source said a deal proposed to guarantee all sitting MPs preselection without a plebiscite was now “all-but dead on arrival,” meaning Mr Zimmerman, Ms Ley and Mr Hawke would have to fight for their seat, unless the threat of federal intervention was followed through.

Originally published as Scott Morrison threatens to intervene in NSW Liberal preselection debacle