Former prime minister Tony Abbott challenged over ‘loyalty has to be earned’ demand during Liberal party room meeting
TONY Abbott came under fire in the joint party room meeting this morning with some Coalition MPs accusing the former prime minister being determined to wreck the Turnbull government.
NSW
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TONY Abbott copped brutal sprays in the joint party room meeting this morning with some Coalition MPs accusing the former prime minister being determined to wreck the Turnbull government.
The Daily Telegraph understands that Nationals MP Damian Drum fired off an impassioned speech about disunity before turning to Mr Abbott and swearing at him.
Mr Abbott spoke in front of his Liberal and National colleagues declaring that “unity has to be created and loyalty has to be earned” rather than demanded.
His comments were said to have prompted Queensland MP Warren Entsch to stand up and read out a string of Mr Abbott’s past promises in a bid to call out the constant interference.
In particular, Mr Entsch referred to Mr Abbott’s pledge when he was dumped as prime minister that there would be “no wrecking, no undermining, no sniping” to which he received applause.
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Mr Abbott released a statement just after 11.30am today criticising the party room leaking of information during the tense Liberal leadership standoff.
“But even while the party room was continuing, reporters were being briefed that Warren Entsch ‘is getting stuck into Tony Abbott right now in the party room, me with some claps’,” Mr Abbott said.
“Unlike too many of my colleagues, my practice is to take responsibility for what I think and say. To put the Entsch intervention into context, I had just said to the party room that exhortations from the leadership group about loyalty are unity were all very well but ‘unity has to be created and loyalty has to be earned. They can’t just be demanded’.”
Last week, Mr Abbott denied being a “wrecker” and said there had been “none of that”.
“I have talked a lot about policy because I want this government to be the best it possibly can be but I have confined myself as I think is quite proper for a backbench Member of Parliament to policy,” he said at the time.