John Pesutto to face new leadership challenge from Brad Battin

Embattled Opposition Leader John Pesutto is set to face a new leadership challenge from senior Liberal Brad Battin - and critics are confident they will blast him out of the job.

Embattled Opposition Leader John Pesutto is set to face a new leadership challenge from senior Liberal Brad Battin with critics certain they will blast him out of the top job.

Amid his refusal to stand down, and a bizarre backflip in which he has conceded Moira Deeming should return to the party room, five MPs have called for a special meeting this Friday.

Frustrated MPs say a challenge could happen during the meeting, but if it doesn’t it will certainly still happen before the end of the year.

Senior MPs attempting to orchestrate a factional deal, and a smooth transition to expected new leader Brad Battin, say the issue must come to a head.

“We can’t have this going on into the new year. Something has to bring it to an end, and it will happen before then,” one source said.

MPs from across the party room said Mr Battin was the clear front runner.

John Pesutto has backflipped and moved a motion to let Moira Deeming back into the party. Picture: NewsWire/Ian Currie

But negotiations had broken down about installing Pesutto-aligned Jess Wilson as his deputy and shadow treasurer.

“If he (Battin) agreed to that, we’d be on board and we’d have a deal done before Christmas,” a moderate MP said.

“We’ve conceded John has to go.”

Furious Liberal MPs on Sunday had earlier slammed Mr Pesutto’s ¬“desperate” and “self-serving” attempt to save his political ¬career by calling another special party room meeting to again vote on whether to welcome back exiled MP Mrs Deeming.

Moira Deeming was successful in her defamation case against John Pesutto. Picture: David Crosling

In an extraordinary U-turn just days after he personally struck down a push to let Mrs Deeming back into the parliamentary ranks, the embattled Opposition Leader said he had organised another meeting, where he would now vote in favour of letting her return.

This is despite Mr Pesutto on Friday using his casting vote after Liberal MPs were split 14 apiece on whether to let Mrs Deeming return to the Liberal Party.

Soon after, he said the final vote “concludes the matter”.

But by Sunday afternoon, Mr Pesutto released a statement saying: “Since last Friday’s meeting it has become clear that there is now a definite absolute majority of my colleagues who want this issue resolved with her readmission so that we can collectively put this behind us and concentrate on the Prahran and Werribee by-elections and holding the Allan Labor government to account.”

“I again apologise to Mrs Deeming as we all work together to ensure the Liberal Party succeeds in winning government in November 2026,” he added.

But Liberal Party sources said Mr Pesutto was yet to actually personally apologise to Mrs Deeming after the Federal Court this month found he defamed her by painting her as a Nazi-sympathiser.

Victorian shadow minister for crime prevention Brad Battin is set to challenge John Pesutto’s leadership.

He has been ordered to pay Mrs Deeming $315,000 and legal costs.

Mr Pesutto’s spectacular about-face on Sunday prompted a fierce backlash from an already hostile party room, with colleagues describing it as a “desperate move from a flailing man on fire”.

One MP said the move was “unhinged” and “unbelievable”.

“This guy has lost the plot,” they said.

“He’s obviously lost the room. He has no credibility.”

Another MP added: “His actions spit in the face of those who voted against their conscience to support him as the leader on Friday. This is self-serving and nothing more beyond that. He hasn’t suddenly woken up with integrity.”

Liberal MPs had already spent the weekend urging Mr Pesutto to resign over the embarrassing saga involving Mrs Deeming.

Originally published as John Pesutto to face new leadership challenge from Brad Battin