Liberal luminary John Howard has endorsed ‘friend’ Tony Abbott in a new ad campaign targeting Warringah

The Liberal Party will today release a video featuring former Prime Minister John Howard endorsing the record of Tony Abbott who says he is locked in the fight of his life to hold the seat of Warringah. It comes as poo was left inside a hollowed book outside of Abbott’s office doorstep.

The Liberal Party will today release a video featuring former Prime Minister John Howard endorsing the record of Tony Abbott who says he is locked in the fight of his life to hold the seat of Warringah.

In the video, which is targeted at Warringah voters, Mr Howard talks about his friendship with Mr Abbott who he argues will be needed to fight against Labor’s tax reforms.

“Tony Abbott has been a friend of mine for thirty years,” Mr Howard says in the video.

Warringah candidate Tony Abbott. Picture: Damian Shaw

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“He was a great Health Minister in my government always arguing for the strengthening of medicare and the protection of private health insurance.

“He led the Liberal Party back into government in 2013 and is only one of four Liberal leaders to do that since the party was formed in 1944.”

Mr Howard said his friend was the “only” candidate in Warringah who would help fight “new and unfair taxes”.

“The electorate of Warringah is made up of a great number of men and women, not wealthy but people who have been successful through hard work and enterprise,” he said.

“Many of them have arranged their retirements on the basis of existing laws

“Mr Shorten wants to hit them with new and unfair taxes and there is only one candidate in the Warringah electorate and that is Tony Abbott who will fight tooth and nail to prevent this huge tax impost on many hard working Australians.

Former Prime Minister John Howard advertisement endorsing Tony Abbott for Warringah.

Tony Abbott in the video for Warringah.

“So if you want to stop the retirees tax, if you want to stop increases in capital gains taxes, if you want to maintain investment in property development and generally the opportunity to invest the proceeds of your hard work, Tony Abbott is the person you should support.”

Mr Howard, who is seen as one of the most popular and influential Liberal figures, has been highly visible this election campaign.

He campaigned alongside first-time Liberal candidate Fiona Martin in the seat of Reid in late April and launched an attack on Bill Shorten at a Scott Morrison in western Sydney a few days later.

The Liberal luminary kept quiet until the final moments of the 2016 federal election where he emerged to bolster last minute support.

Former Prime Minister John Howard’s endorsement is being viewed as a crucial way to remind the Warringah electorate of Mr Abbott’s record in office.

Senior Liberal Party sources have linked his early appearance in this election with the opening of pre-polling and are hoping Mr Howard’s popularity will provide a bump in tight seats.

Mr Abbott has previously said he is in the “fight of my life” as he endures assaults from GetUp, Labor and his chief political opponent, independent candidate Zali Steggall.

Mr Howard’s endorsement is being viewed as a crucial way to remind the Warringah electorate of Mr Abbott’s record in office.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison with former PM John Howard. Picture: Gary Ramage

HOLLOWED BOOK FILLED WITH POO LEFT ON ABBOTT’S DOORSTEP

The grubby campaign against Tony Abbott has reached an all-time-low with activists leaving a hollowed-out book filled with faeces on the former Prime Minister’s office doorstep.

The blank cover book was scrawled with the words “unpopular” in white marker and was dumped outside Mr Abbott’s Manly office overnight.

Tony Abbott has woken to find a book filled with poo dumped on the doorstep. Picture: Supplied

The poo was dumped on the doorstep of his Manly office overnight. Picture: Supplied

NSW Police have attended My Abbott’s Manly office and collected the book and its contents which will form the foundation of a formal investigation.

A spokesman for Mr Abbott said the move showed activists had sunk even lower.

“They went from the gutter last week and they’ve gone to the sewer this week,” he said.

Staff within Mr Abbott’s campaign are upset by the tactic which is just the latest unsavoury assault on the Warringah MP since electorate was covered in expletive-ridden graffiti last week.

Left wing activist group GetUp has distanced itself from the poo attack on Tony Abbott saying it condemns the act “in the strongest possible terms”.

Mr Abbott has been the target of a GetUp campaign to oust him from the north shore seat which turned ugly late last month when the group released an ad suggesting Mr Abbott would let a swimmer drown to debate climate science.

GetUp was forced to remove the ad and apologise after it drew ire from the Royal Life Saving Society Australia for mocking drownings but the organisation said it would make another video without the drowning swimmer.

Originally published as Liberal luminary John Howard has endorsed ‘friend’ Tony Abbott in a new ad campaign targeting Warringah