Jodi McKay supporters back Michael Daley as leader, not Chris Minns

Key backers of ex-Labor leader Jodi McKay are pushing for her predecessor Michael Daley to return to the top job in a bid to keep Chris Minns from the position.

Jodi McKay’s key backers are rallying to build support for a return of Michael Daley to the Labor leadership following her tearful resignation and call for party unity.

Ms McKay stood aside on Friday after days of recriminations and infighting, but almost immediately her supporters were privately declaring they did not want Labor leadership favourite Chris Minns to be “rewarded”.

Jodi McKay leaves parliament after stepping down as NSW Labor leader. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Damian Shaw

Mr Minns remains in the box seat, but a decision by Mr Daley, who was dumped as leader in 2019, to nominate could trigger a drawn out and expensive rank-and-file vote.

Announcing her resignation, Ms McKay said “leadership is about knowing when you step up and when you step down”.

She said she retained the support of the caucus, but senior Labor figures including power­broker Graham Richardson, speaking on Sky News, disputed her view.

“I want to apologise to those who wished I had stayed but this is the only way I know that I can unite our party,” Ms McKay said.

“I have spent the past six days reflecting on how I can achieve unity.”

Chris Minns has not yet announced he will contest the leadership, but is still considered the frontrunner. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Jeremy Piper

Mr Daley has personally spoken to MPs who supported Ms McKay to sound out their support for him and was weighing his decision on Friday night.

He was yesterday assisted by first-term backbencher and member for Coogee Marjorie O’Neill, who helped with making phone calls asking members if they would support Mr Daley.

One Labor MP, who had wanted Ms McKay to stay, said that while there was a view an uncontested ballot would save the party time and money, they did not believe Mr Minns should be “rewarded” for “undermining” and that they wanted Mr Daley to run against him.

Michael Daley, with his then-deputy Penny Sharpe, resigning as NSW Labor leader in 2019. Picture: AAP Image/Joel Carrett

Mr Minns said he would take the weekend to talk to colleagues about the future of Labor, and is expected to make a statement within days about his intention to contest the leadership.

He is likely to appoint Member for Summer Hill Jo Haylen as his deputy, and it is expected senior frontbenchers would include Ryan Park, Rose Jackson and Daniel Mookhey.

Mr Park, who also had MPs supporting him to stand, withdrew from the contest to pave the way for an uncontested ballot.

Ms McKay was under pressure following Labor’s disastrous Upper Hunter by-election result, but then rapidly lost the support of colleagues when a staffer from the office of her deputy Yasmin Catley distributed a “dirt file” on Mr Minns.

Ms McKay said no one had told her to resign, but she urged the party to heal and move forward, adding: “That also has to be a future where there is no destabilising of the party’s leader from within.”

Ms Catley quickly followed with her own resignation as deputy leader, saying she deeply regretted the dirt file released by her staffer.

“I deeply regret the events of the past few days and their impact on my colleagues,” she said.

“Personal attacks on colleagues are not the Labor way. That is why when I became aware of them I took action.”