Liberals urge Prime Minister Scott Morrison to ‘publicly finish off’ Malcolm Turnbull

Liberal MPs are urging Scott Morrison to turn “ghostbuster” and “publicly finish off” ex-PM Malcolm Turnbull before he does more damage. One senior conservative said “the king is dead but he’s still twitching” while others want him publicly repudiated.

• Malcolm Turnbull calls for Scott Morrison to go to March election
• Malcolm Turnbull praised Craig Kelly in letter before backflip

Liberal MPs are urging Scott Morrison to take the gloves off and “publicly finish off” Malcolm Turnbull as even former allies condemned the ex-PM’s latest political interference.

The Daily Telegraph can reveal MPs from all sides of the party are privately lashing out at Mr Turnbull with some calling for the former leader to be publicly repudiated or even expelled from the party if he continues to disrupt the Coalition government.

They believe his ongoing interventions are further risking the Liberals’ fortunes at both federal and state elections.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Treasurer Josh Frydenberg make their way to the press conference on Monday night. Picture: Gary Ramage

Mr Turnbull’s attempt to thwart Prime Minister Morrison’s plan to use special powers to endorse outspoken conservative NSW backbencher Craig Kelly backfired on Monday as his inflammatory statements made the ballot a choice between the current and former PM.

After The Daily Telegraph revealed on Monday that Mr Turnbull was privately urging moderates to defy Mr Morrison’s wishes, Mr Turnbull publicly doubled down on his position, saying Mr Kelly’s preselection should not be saved in the interests of party democracy.

MORE NEWS

ABC reporter kicked out of Parliament for ‘showing too much skin’

Caroline Marcus: Turnbull is the ultimate ‘miserable ghost’

Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull leaves his home in Point Piper on Monday. Picture: AAP

The remarks stunned MPs — even the ex-PM’s one time supporters — who found Mr Turnbull’s remarks “highly hypocritical” after he only months earlier accused other former prime ministers Tony Abbott and Kevin Rudd of being “miserable ghosts” who continually disrupted politics.

Promises outgoing prime minister Malcolm Turnbull made but couldn't keep.

A senior MP said: “This is all about Malcolm Turnbull exacting revenge and destroying the party. If he tries to humiliate the PM again, it’s time to call in the ghostbusters.

“There’s a growing consensus that if he humiliates Scott Morrison again, Scott needs to finish him off publicly.”

There is a broad belief among MPs that Mr Turnbull’s intervention was more about harming Mr Morrison than about leaving Mr Kelly to likely lose his preselection battle for his safe seat of Hughes.

Mr Morrison and Mr Frydenberg have a laugh with the media during the press conference in Parliament House in Canberra. Picture: Gary Ramage

The Daily Telegraph has seen a letter signed by Mr Turnbull and provided to the NSW state executive in May praising Mr Kelly as part of his preselection pack, saying he was “looking forward” to the backbencher being “re-elected as part of our strong Coalition team”.

The letter praises the Hughes MP as “one of the government’s most committed contributors on the floor of the parliament”.