‘Badly misled’: Tony Abbott’s bitter swipe at Scott Morrison as polls vindicate leadership spill

DUMPED prime minister Tony Abbott has called the new Treasurer a liar, as Malcolm Turnbull savours a big bounce over Labor in the polls.

Question Time in the House of Representatives in Parliament House in Canberra. The Prime Minister Tony Abbott with Social Services Minister Scott Morrison during Question Time in the House of Representatives in Parliament House Canberra. Pic by Gary Ramage

MALCOLM Turnbull’s leadership coup has been vindicated by an impressive set of poll numbers that have made him our most popular leader in more than five years.

The new Prime Minister’s personal rating has soared, with 55 per cent of voters now rating him as their preferred PM, according to the latest Newspoll, published in The Australian. That’s a whopping 34-point lead over Labor leader Bill Shorten.

The result comes a week after Mr Turnbull toppled Tony Abbott, citing 30 Newspolls in a row where the Coalition had lost to Labor.

But the result has been tainted by a bitter swipe by Mr Abbott at newly minted Treasurer Scott Morrision, whom the ousted PM accused of lying over his role in the leadership spill.

In an exclusive beachside interview by The Daily Telegraph yesterday, Mr Abbott said the public had been “badly misled” by Mr Morrison, who last week claimed he had tried to warn Mr Abbott about the plot to oust him.

“Not true not true … Scott never warned anyone, certainly he never warned me,” Mr Abbott told the newspaper while out for a surf near his home in Sydney’s Manly.

“I spoke to him on Friday, not a hint of a warning, so I’m afraid Scott badly misled people. He badly misled people.”

Mr Abbott said as the plotters gathered behind his back, he was “doing what I could to save the government”.

Unfortunately it turns out that even the woman he risked his prime ministership for turned her back on him. The Daily Telegraph is reporting that Bronwyn Bishop told colleagues she would vote against him during the leadership spill.

She confided in colleagues that she abandoned Mr Abbott because she thought he had acted “appallingly” by making her resign over Choppergate scandal.

Tony Abbott went out for a surf at North Steyne before coffee with friends yesterday. Picture: John Grainger

In the interview Mr Abbott also defended the record of dumped treasurer Joe Hockey, who was replaced by Mr Morrison in the Mr Turnbull’s Cabinet reshuffle yesterday.

Mr Morrison has previously said that at the eleventh hour before Monday’s leadership spill, a desperate Mr Abbott had offered him the treasurer’s job, despite it being held at the time by Joe Hockey, in exchange for his support in the ballot. Mr Morrison said he had refused the offer, but agreed to vote for Mr Abbott but would not instruct others in the party to do the same.

Labor leader Bill Shorten, who appeared solo on the ABC’s Q&A program last night in an effort to connect with the Australian people, can only be disheartened by this morning’s poll result. Only 21 per cent of those polled prefer Mr Shorten as PM.

Mr Turnbull’s rating makes him the most popular prime minister since Julia Gillard in July 2010.

On two-party-preferred terms, the coalition led Labor 51 to 49 per cent, the first time the government has been in front for the last 30 Newspolls.

The survey follows a Galaxy poll last week that also recorded a 51-49 per cent coalition lead over Labor, and a 51 per cent vote for Mr Turnbull as preferred prime minister.

Malcolm Turnbull’s leadership coup appears to have been justified. AFP PHOTO / Peter PARKS