Laming under attack as dumped Liberal National Party executives claim membership in the seat of Bowman is on the slide

A BAYSIDE federal MP faces a renewed campaign against him by dumped Liberal National Party executives, who claim his branch is haemorrhaging members.

• LNP bosses move on challenge
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FEDERAL Member for Bowman Andrew Laming faces a renewed campaign against him by dumped Liberal National Party executives, who claim his branch is haemorrhaging members.

The former secretary of Mr Laming’s federal divisional council, Suzi Foster, has written to LNP members complaining the party has silenced grassroots supporters and will struggle to win the next election.

Ms Foster was suspended from the LNP, along with other members of Mr Laming’s federal divisional council executive, Shaun Edwards and Paul Field, after they last month distributed a letter calling for the “maverick” MP to be disendorsed.

The trio were suspended from the LNP because they breached party rules by using a list of members to lobby against an MP.

Liberal Member for Bowman Andrew Laming is under a new attack from former party officials.

But in a new letter addressed to “members of the LNP Liberal and National party”, Ms Foster said the council had lost 30 per cent of its members since last July.

“For us to win at the next election it doesn’t bode well when the state executive council stops listening and expelling members for expressing the views of the local members,” Ms Foster wrote.

“The three of us … were suspended over expressing the views of the many in Bowman.

“If this is allowed to continue we will not have enough members left to help at the next election let alone vote.”

LNP state director Michael O’Dwyer said the claims about membership losses in Bowman were wrong. He said the LNP statewide was attracting an average of 40 new members a week.

Mr Laming was unable to comment on the allegations under party rules. He was endorsed by other local members at an AGM after the original letter was distributed.