Paul Toole loses leadership of NSW Nationals to Dugald Saunders

Paul Toole has been dumped as Nationals Leader in a snap leadership spill with Dubbo MP Dugald Saunders winning a party room vote to take over.

Paul Toole has been dumped as Nationals Leader in a snap leadership spill with Dubbo MP Dugald Saunders winning a party room vote to take over.

Mr Saunders’ victory comes less than a month after he challenged Mr Toole when leadership roles were declared vacant after the election.

Mr Saunders won the leadership vote 10 votes to Mr Toole’s five.

Upper House MP Ben Franklin, whose ambition to take a plum parliamentary job sparked the leadership challenge, was a no show at Monday’s party room meeting.

Mr Franklin earlier confirmed that he would nominate for the President of the Upper House in the face of claims from colleagues that doing so would be an act of “treachery”.

Paul Toole has been ousted. Picture: Supplied

Furious Nationals on Monday accused Mr Toole of supporting Mr Franklin’s bid to be President, despite publicly claiming otherwise.

Meanwhile Liberal leader Mark Speakman has slammed Ben Franklin for “treachery” after the Nationals MP confirmed he would run for president of the Upper House.

“It certainly is an act of treachery. Some people leave parties because they’re disaffected, or they think the party philosophy has changed or it’s not delivering for the people in New South Wales,” Liberal leader Mark Speakman said, shortly after the Liberals held their own meeting on Monday.

“This would be a very clear case of someone taking the money and running, someone acting in his own self-interest and not in the interest of the people of New South Wales.”

Mr Speakman added the move by Mr Franklin – which could result in him being expelled from the party – was trashing his “conscience” by nominating for the role, which would remove his vote from the Upper House.

Dugald Saunders is the new leader of The Nationals. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Christian Gilles.

“The biggest sanction for someone like that is not the threat of expulsion (from a party), not the threat of someone referring them to ICAC, but the trashing of their own reputation and their conscience for the rest of their lives.”

Mr Franklin was contacted for comment.

It came as Mr Speakman was flanked by the Liberals’ new leadership team, following a party vote where the majority endorsed a change of rules to allow Upper House MPs take the party’s deputy leadership, which was duly won by MP Natalie Ward.

Veteran MP Damien Tudehope will lead the Liberals in the Upper House, with Robyn Preston the deputy leader in the lower house.

FRANKLIN MAKES HIS MOVE FOR PLUM ROLE

Nationals MP Ben Franklin has confirmed he will nominate for a plum parliamentary role in a move which deliver him staff, a car and driver, and a $143,000 salary.

If elected as Upper House President on Tuesday, Mr Franklin will not sit in either the Nationals party room or joint coalition party room.

Mr Franklin confirmed that he will run for the position of Upper House President, despite claims from his colleagues last week that doing so would amount to “treachery”.

The Upper House MP declared that he intends to remain a member of the National Party – despite suggestions last week that he could be expelled from the party if he runs for President.

“As a Party Member, I will continue to vote with my Nationals colleagues whenever I am on the floor of the parliament – for example when amendments to Bills are being debated,” he said in a statement to colleagues.

Sources say Paul Toole will face a leadership challenge if he doesn’t stand aside. Picture: NCA Newswire / Gaye Gerard

MP Ben Franklin has nominated for a plum parliamentary position with Labor’s support. Picture: NCA Newswire / Gaye Gerard

“It is, of course, entirely a matter for the National Party if they determine a different course of action regarding my membership.”

Mr Franklin is at the centre of a civil war that could cost Nationals Leader Paul Toole his job.

Nationals MPs believe Mr Toole sanctioned Mr Franklin’s bid to become Upper House President, a move which will cost the Coalition a vote on the floor of parliament.

Mr Toole could be rolled as Nationals Leader by the end of the day.

Furious Nationals MPs believe Mr Toole knew “weeks ago” about a bid by MP Ben Franklin to nominate for a plum parliamentary position with Labor’s support, in a move which would rob the Coalition of a vote in the Upper House.

Nationals MPs will meet at parliament at 2pm before the resumption of parliament on Tuesday.

Multiple Nationals sources said a leadership challenge is on the cards for that meeting if Mr Toole does not stand aside.

Dubbo member Dugald Saunders challenged Paul Toole last month.

“If he doesn’t, the encouragement will be from the members to make a (leadership) change,” one said.

The Telegraph understands that Dubbo MP Dugald Saunders is considering standing for the leadership if the role is declared vacant.

Last week, Mr Toole claimed that he had encouraged Mr Franklin not to take the role.

“He should not be accepting the position of president of the upper house,” Mr Toole told The Daily Telegraph last week.

But multiple Nationals MPs now say Mr Toole knew about Mr Franklin’s plans weeks ago and failed to haul him into line.

It comes after Mr Franklin told Nine newspapers that he discussed the idea of becoming Upper House President with Mr Toole, and was told it was a “great idea”.

Mr Toole narrowly clung on as Nationals Leader by one vote last month when the party’s leadership positions were spilled following the March election loss.

Mr Saunders challenged Mr Toole for that vote but lost seven votes to eight.

Mr Franklin is a good friend of Premier Chris Minns, and is even the godfather to one of the Premier’s children.

The upper house presidency role comes with a car, driver, an expense account, and a $143,000 pay rise.

Because the President doesn’t vote, Mr Franklin taking the role would mean Labor would take effective control of numbers in the upper house.

Premier Chris Minns on Monday morning said he believed Mr Franklin had received the green light from Mr Toole to run for the role.

“When the issue came to public light there was a lot of media speculation in relation to it, I wanted to see what support Ben Franklin had in the National party,” Mr Minns told 2GB’s Ben Fordham.

Mr Toole was contacted for comment.