George Brandis criticises LNP party merger before taking High Commissioner post in London

OUTGOING Queensland Senator George Brandis has taken aim at the LNP merger, criticising its frequent failures at state elections and claiming he warned against far-right parties filling the power vacuum left in regional Queensland.

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OUTGOING Queensland Senator George Brandis has fired a parting shot at the LNP merger, taking aim at its frequent failures at state elections and saying he had warned against far-right parties filling the power vacuum left in regions by the united party.

He is the most senior conservative politician to criticise the party merger since former state Opposition leader Tim Nicholls’ election loss last month.

Senator George Brandis has fired a parting shot at the LNP merger.

His comments follow Nationals-aligned Queensland federal LNP MPs seeking to run their own election campaigns under the Nationals banner, fearing the LNP is seen as too city-centric.

Former National party politicians Ron Boswell and Vaughan Johnson have spoken out against the merger since the election loss.

LNP Leader Deb Frecklington has defended the merger.

But new state Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington defended the merger, saying it had created a united voice for conservative politics.

“We have seen a new wave of politicians elected under the LNP banner that get to represent the whole of Queensland and the range of issues that cross the entire state,” Ms Frecklington said.

Senator George Brandis, who was the LNP’s longest-serving politician until he announced his retirement this month, has been a staunch critic of the 2008 merger of the Liberal and National parties.

In one of his final interviews before heading to the London, where he will take up the post of Australia’s High Commissioner to the UK, Senator Brandis said he had voiced his opposition to the unified party from the start.

“I thought in the long run, a power vacuum would open up, particularly in regard to regional Queensland, which would be occupied by other right-wing parties,” he said.

“The LNP has fought four state elections and lost three.”

Katter’s Australia Party secured three rural seats at the Queensland election last month and, while the only seat One Nation secured was previously Labor-held, it performed strongly in some regions.

The right-wing party polled more than 30 per cent in four seats, more than 20 per cent in 31 seats and outpolled the LNP in 10 seats.

One Nation’s strongest support was in the LNP-held Lockyer, scoring 34.4 per cent of the primary vote, coming within 1.4 per cent of the LNP.

Federal LNP MPs have privately voiced their concerns about the performance of One Nation in their back yards.

Before the merger, the National-Liberal Coalition had been reduced to just 15 seats at one point, while in 1998 One Nation won 11 seats compared to just one this year.

LNP president Gary Spence has previously slapped down comments from Senator Brandis questioning the merger.

“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,” Mr Spence said.