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Julie Bishop expected to quit as foreign minister

JULIE Bishop is expected to quit as foreign minister under new Prime Minister Scott Morrison, but stay in parliament until the next election.

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JULIE Bishop is expected to quit as foreign minister under new Prime Minister Scott Morrison, but stay in parliament until the next election.

Perth Now is reporting that Ms Bishop has decided it “is in the interests of the nation” that she retire as a minister.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Julie Bishop is expected to quit. Picture: Richard Hatherly
Minister for Foreign Affairs Julie Bishop is expected to quit. Picture: Richard Hatherly

It has been reported that she’s expected to announce her decision later today.

Ms Bishop, 62, was deputy Liberal leader for more than a decade but she only received 11 votes in last Friday’s leadership ballot after Malcolm Turnbull called a spill.

The long-serving foreign minister returned to Perth on Saturday.

“I am going to consider all my options and I am going to focus on running (in the City to Surf),” she told the Sunday Times.

“Once I have considered my options I will make a statement.”

Education Minister Simon Birmingham earlier on Sunday said Ms Bishop was “the most significant woman in the history of the Liberal Party” and deserved to make a decision about her future without external pressure.

“We would love to see Julie continue, but that really is up to Julie,” he told the ABC on today.

Original URL: https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/julie-bishop-expected-to-quit-as-foreign-minister/news-story/b1a157520d331f470990c0dfee4310c7