Malcolm Turnbull backs PM over historic Liberal party leadership reforms
Malcolm Turnbull today backed Prime Minister Scott Morrison over historic Liberal party leadership reforms while hitting back at claims he was a “miserable ghost’ intent on destabilising the Coalition.
Malcolm Turnbull has backed Prime Minister Scott Morrison over historic Liberal party leadership reforms announced last night.
He also hit back at suggestions he was a “miserable ghost” after he weighed in on the pre-selection of conservative Liberal MP Craig Kelly at the weekend, a move which sensationally backfired yesterday.
“I’m not a member of the parliament, I’m not seeking to undermine or unseat, replace Scott Morrison – he has a free run, as opposed to the conduct of Kevin Rudd and Tony Abbott,” Mr Turnbull said today.
Under the new rules, two-thirds of Liberal MPs would be needed to spill the leadership and knife a prime minister elected by the public. The changes would have saved both Tony Abbott and Malcolm Turnbull.
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Outside his Point Piper home this morning, Mr Turnbull praised the historic changes which were announced by the Prime Minister.
“I think it’s a very good reform,” he said.
“I think people will welcome the prospect of there being fewer or less of the revolving door prime ministership, which I think is the way Scott Morrison referred to it last night.
“I think it’s a welcome reform. Of course, how effective it will be? Time will tell.”
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Mr Turnbull said changing the rules was an attempt to stop a repeat of the leadership coup when he lost the top job, describing it again as “self-destructive, pointless, madness”.
“I think what’s been recognised… is that the leadership change in August this year, on August 24, did considerable damage to the Liberal Party,” Mr Turnbull said.
“Now it’s taken a while for the penny to drop in some circles but clearly this is an attempt to try and draw a line under that culture.
“Now whether (last night’s changes to the rules) will work or not, I don’t know. Obviously if you have in any party room people who want to consistently destabilize a prime minister, destabilize a government, in effect run an insurgency, then even a two-thirds majority may be readily achievable because people will say ‘oh well, we give in to the insurgency’ and in a sense that’s what happened in August. There were many people I’m sure who voted for the spill who did so because they couldn’t bear the insurgency.”
Mr Turnbull spoke after Liberal MPs urged Mr Morrison to take the gloves off and “publicly finish off his predecessor” over his latest political interference.
They were infuriated at his latest intervention with even the ex-PM’s one time supporters finding his 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.
The Daily Telegraph today revealed 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.
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