Disaffected former LNP candidates flirt with One Nation ahead of next state/federal polls

DISAFFECTED former LNP candidates are flirting with One Nation as Pauline Hanson boosts her ranks ahead of the next state and federal elections.

• Editorial: Time for perspective and cool heads

DISAFFECTED former LNP candidates are flirting with One Nation as Pauline Hanson boosts her ranks ahead of the next state and federal elections.

As Attorney-General ­George Brandis sparked internal fury by inadvertently questioning the preservation of the Coalition merger, One Nation has finalised 25 preselected candidates for the next state election alone.

While one candidate has a direct link to the LNP, it is believed there are others considering running.

Some within the LNP fear One Nation will cannibalise its vote in rural Queensland.

Member for Dawson George Christensen said he had “sympathy” for the argument that the Nationals should have their own separate brand for federal elections.

Mr Christensen told The Courier-Mail he would prefer the LNP to remain intact.

Another highly placed source said “only those who do not raise funds would ­realise that it would be a stupid idea (to split)”.

Several others asked whether Liberals within the LNP needed to be reminded the party was broke and was rescued by the Nationals when they merged in 2008.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said the LNP was working “very effectively”.

It comes as LNP boss Gary Spence used a video message to 14,000 members to slap down negative “observations” made by Senator Brandis.

Mr Spence rubbished any speculation of an LNP demerger and trumpeted the hard work of State Opposition Leader Tim Nicholls.

Senator Brandis at the weekend did not realise his microphone was on when he told Victorian Liberal Party boss Michael Kroger that Mr Nicholls’ performance in Queensland had been “very mediocre” and raised whether there was a need to split the parties because of the rise of One Nation.

“On the weekend, Senator Brandis made some comments at a Victorian Liberal Party, even that the leadership of the LNP strongly rejects,’’ Mr Spence says in the YouTube video.

“In fact, without the LNP outperforming Labor in Queensland, the Turnbull Government would be in Opposition. There is no desire, need or appetite to go back to pre-merger days.”

Labor’s Queensland senators jumped on the comments, asking Senator Brandis if he stood by them.

“I did make some observations about Queensland politics ... One of the things I said during the course of those observations was the Queensland Government is a very, very mediocre government, and so it is,” he said.