Barnaby Joyce losing voter support and challenge looms

ALMOST two thirds of Australians think Barnaby Joyce should quit as Deputy Prime Minister amid the fallout from the love-child scandal which has ended his marriage.

ALMOST two thirds of Australians think Barnaby Joyce should quit as Deputy Prime Minister amid the fallout from the love-child scandal which has ended his marriage.

Today’s Newspoll reveals 65 per cent of voters across the country believe the Nationals’ leader should quit his job, and a third want Mr Joyce to leave parliament altogether.

Support for Mr Joyce within his own party appears to be drying up, with at least a third of his MPs preparing to issue him with an ultimatum: quit, or face a challenge.

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Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce at Parliament House last week. Picture: AAP

The Deputy PM, who has taken a week of personal leave amid the fallout of his marriage-ending affair with a now pregnant adviser, is increasingly likely to face a leadership spill ­motion next Monday.

Australian Veterans' Affairs Minister Michael McCormack is the most likely replacement. Picture: AAP

The federal government has suffered a backlash from voters amid a scandal-plagued fortnight with support dipping one point to trail Labor, 47-53, in the poll published by The Australian.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s personal approval rating dropped five points to 40 per cent, leaving only a seven-point margin between him and Labor leader Bill Shorten as preferred PM.

The poll of 1632 found men were less forgiving than women — 23 per cent believed Mr Joyce should quit politics compared with 20 per cent of women.

Regional voters — 25 per cent of them — were more inclined to want Mr Joyce to resign from parliament immediately, compared with 20 per cent of city voters.

Nationals MPs have told the Herald Sun Mr Joyce’s position was untenable and only a flood of support from regional Australia was likely to save him.

Mr Joyce’s colleagues have vowed to “take the temperature” of their regional electorates over the next week.

It is understood at least seven MPs want Mr Joyce to leave the top job, and another seven were reconsidering their support after Friday’s tit-for-tat exchange with Mr Turnbull.

Sources said at least six Nationals were “rusted-on Barnaby men” and unlikely to change.

Barnaby Joyce has taken a week of personal leave. Picture: Gary Ramage

Mr Joyce’s camp disputes those numbers and believes he is as “safe as houses” because of a perceived intervention by the Liberal Party in National Party affairs.

Veterans’ Affairs Minister and member for Riverina Michael McCormack has emerged as the most likely candidate to replace Mr Joyce.

Mr Turnbull and Mr Joyce held talks at lunchtime in Sydney on Saturday in an attempt to reconcile their differences.

Mr Turnbull yesterday said he could “absolutely” continue to work with Mr Joyce.

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