Malcolm Turnbull intervenes in Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s plan to re-endorse MPs
Sydney Liberal MP Craig Kelly is expected to be saved from a federal preselection battle, despite an extraordinary intervention from former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull.
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Sydney Liberal MP Craig Kelly is expected to be saved from a federal preselection battle, despite an extraordinary intervention from former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull.
Moderate-aligned members of the NSW Liberal Party’s executive committee have reportedly decided to abstain from a vote on using emergency powers to guarantee Mr Kelly’s position.
Mr Kelly, a vocal conservative, was facing a preselection challenge from moderates in the federal seat of Hughes.
Earlier, Mr Turnbull has told a senior moderate within the Liberal Party that Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s request to re-endorse all sitting MPs was simply about “keeping his arse in C1 for as long as possible”.
C1 is the Prime Ministerial limousine.
In a stunning intervention, Mr Turnbull hit the airwaves this morning to double down on his call for the Morrison government to go to an election in March.
But the ousted PM doubted Mr Morrison would reverse his plan for a May election, repeating his claims that the current PM was “plainly” determined to “stay in government as long as he possibly can”.
Mr Turnbull told ABC radio there were many Liberals in NSW who believe a March 2 federal election would help prevent the Berejiklian government “being hit by the brand damage that arose from the very destructive, pointless, shameful leadership change in Canberra in August”.
“There are a lot of people in NSW, a lot of NSW Liberals, who believe it would be in the party’s interests for the federal government to go to an election before the NSW government’s set election date of March 23 so that Gladys Berejiklian, who is leading an outstanding government of real and considerable achievement, can go to the polls and [be] judged on her record,” Mr Turnbull said.
The initial intervention came from Mr Turnbull yesterday, who called moderates on the NSW state executive and urged them to defy Prime Minister Morrison’s explicit request to save sitting MP and conservative firebrand Craig Kelly’s preselection for the safe NSW seat of Hughes.
Leader of the NSW moderates Matt Kean stared the former PM and Wentworth MP down, telling him they would not play a part in any personal vendetta against the party.
In one conversation The Daily Telegraph has learned of, Mr Turnbull told the NSW Minister they should vote against the motion to save Mr Kelly because it could bring on an early election, which he said would help “save” NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian.
Mr Turnbull told Mr Kean his government had intended to go to an election on the first weekend of March, which would have been better for Ms Berejiklian.
The Turnbull intervention could end up being a humiliating defeat for Mr Morrison, if the ballot over the deal to endorse all sitting members fails.
Mr Turnbull tweeted late last night to confirm that he had made phone calls, saying his intervention was because he believed the party’s “democratic processes should operate in the normal way”.
Mr Morrison moved for the deal to be struck as concerns mounted that Mr Kelly would wreak havoc for the government a week after MP Julia Banks quit for the crossbench.
Mr Kelly has publicly denied that he would quit for the crossbench, but senior figures on the state executive still believe it to be a possibility.
It follows reports last week that conservative confidantes of Mr Kelly were urging him to quit the Liberals in an effort to build momentum as an independent against his likely party replacement Kent Johns.
Mr Turnbull said in his tweets: “It has been put to me that Mr Kelly has threatened to go to the cross bench and ‘bring down the Government’.
“If indeed he has made that threat, it is not one that should result in a capitulation. Indeed it would be the worst and weakest response to such a threat.
“It is time for the Liberal Party members in Hughes to have their say about their local member and decide who they want to represent them.”
If the factional deal to endorse the sitting MPs succeeds, it will likely have long term implications for the Liberals’ factional war.
Mr Kelly is facing certain preselection defeat to moderate and local councillor Mr Johns in the safe Sydney seat if the normal processes are followed.
Mr Johns did not respond to requests for comment.
Originally published as Malcolm Turnbull intervenes in Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s plan to re-endorse MPs
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