Strong polling over Labor may help Victorian Liberal leader John Pesutto hold on to top job
John Pesutto’s grip on the state Liberal leadership may come down to whether he can maintain the party’s lead over Labor in the polls.
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John Pesutto’s grip on the state Liberal leadership may come down to whether he can maintain the party’s lead over Labor in the polls.
Key MPs on Saturday said a leadership coup before Christmas was looking increasingly unlikely, with Mr Pesutto maintaining a majority of support in the party room due to moderate faction numbers.
But MPs across factions said that there were still serious questions being asked of their leader and his judgement internally, meaning his job may not remain safe if voter sentiment dipped.
A political grenade lobbed by disgruntled former tennis star Sam Groth on Friday, who quit Mr Pesutto’s frontbench following the opposition leader’s devastating defamation loss, was fizzling on Saturday, despite conservative MPs urging Mr Pesutto to stand down as leader.
One senior Liberal said there could be more Shadow Cabinet resignations to come, and that a spill of leadership positions was “not if but when”.
Federal MPs are quietly urging for a swift resolution to the saga through a contest or Mr Pesutto’s resignation, but senior state figures said their influence was minimal and “it’s not their call”.
Several Liberals said Mr Groth, who wants to one day lead the party, may have blown himself up for good after surprising colleagues with his resignation, while some fear he will walk away from politics before the next election if Mr Pesutto stays on.
One MP said Mr Pesutto maintained a majority of colleagues’ support largely because they didn’t want a member of the right wing to take over, but he was not assured to stay on as leader if he couldn’t lift his performance.
“It’s not because John’s setting the world on fire, it’s because they won’t change to someone in the right.”
Right wing MPs are incensed about Mr Pesutto’s defamation loss against former colleague Moira Deeming, who was ousted from the party room last year.
He faces an expensive bill of $300,000 plus legal costs, which could total almost $2 million.
Sources said former premier Jeff Kennett is raising some “serious” money for Mr Pesutto to pay some of his legal bills, after federal MPs suggested that potential bankruptcy could force the opposition leader to step aside.
Federal Liberal figures have grown increasingly agitated that the Victorian drama could spill over into next year when a federal poll is due, with some claiming Mr Pesutto’s days are numbered.
Mr Pesutto’s supporters have scoffed at the idea, pointing to the limited influence of federal MPs on the state party room, where a group of moderates outnumber conservatives by up to 50 per cent.
Many MPs have quietly bemoaned the fact that infighting is derailing the party’s ability to battle Labor on issues that matter to voters, including tax hikes amid a cost of living crisis.
Originally published as Strong polling over Labor may help Victorian Liberal leader John Pesutto hold on to top job
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