Julie Bishop and Julia Banks have a surprise run in at Mornington restaurant

Julie Bishop and Julia Banks describe it as an Easter surprise, but their chance meeting in a Mornington restaurant has sparked chatter in the Liberal Party ranks.

Julie Bishop and Julia Banks describe it as an Easter surprise, but their chance meeting in a restaurant in the key electorate of Flinders will spark chatter in Liberal ranks.

The meeting yesterday morning, confirmed to the Herald Sun by both parties, has fuelled speculation that party defector Ms Banks — who is challenging Health Minister Greg Hunt — is being supported behind the scenes by leading Liberal figures.

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Ms Bishop quit as foreign minister and deputy leader last August following the ousting of Malcolm Turnbull as prime minister.

She later said Ms Banks “would be missed” as a “strong sensible centrist” when the latter quit the party to join the crossbench in November amid allegations of bullying during the leadership spill.

The Herald Sun has been told the pair met by “pure coincidence” at DOC Mornington while Ms Bishop was spending Easter with her partner David Panton.

One senior Liberal, on hearing the news, told the Herald Sun: “Julie and Julia just bumping into each other? Deidre Chambers … what a coincidence!”

The surprise meeting has fuelled speculation Ms Banks — who is challenging Health Minister Greg Hunt — is being supported behind the scenes by leading Liberal figures.

Ms Banks’ decision to leave her electorate of Chisholm and instead target Mr Hunt’s seat has caused major agitation within Liberal ranks, who have branded her a “traitor”.

Ms Banks said Ms Bishop was “enjoying everything Flinders had to offer” over Easter.

“It was great to run into Julie, who I have a lot of respect for, and her partner David is, like myself, a second-generation Peninsula person,” she told the Herald Sun.

A spokeswoman for Ms Bishop said the pair’s meeting was “unplanned” and Ms Banks and her campaign team were simply walking past the restaurant while Ms Bishop was having a coffee.

Asked who Ms Bishop was supporting in the seat, the spokeswoman said: “Julie is a member of the Liberal Party and supports the party.”

Ms Banks was among a handful of colleagues who backed Ms Bishop in her unsuccessful leadership tilt, which created a bitter divide among the party’s moderate faction.

Julia Banks is running in Minister for Health Greg Hunt’s seat of Flinders.

She also remains close to Mr Turnbull, who described her as an “outstanding parliamentarian” following her decision to challenge Mr Hunt, who was a key figure in the plot to install Peter Dutton as PM.

“She came to parliament with a life’s experience as a lawyer in the business world. She is really an outstanding representative,” Mr Turnbull said at the time.

“She’s explained why she left the Liberal Party and she’s done so on her own terms and I respect the decision she’s taken.”

It was later revealed Mr Turnbull’s son, Alex, was “involved” in Ms Banks campaign and had helped put her in contact with a friend who had provided $8000 worth of in-kind support to set up her website.

Ms Bishop, hugely popular among Liberal voters, is leaving parliament after 21 years and has deliberately kept a low profile during the first two weeks of the election campaign.

In her surprise valedictory speech in February, she declared the Morrison Government would be returned at the election.

Mr Hunt, who holds the seat by 7.2 per cent, declined to comment on the meeting yesterday.