Paul Toole chosen as NSW Deputy Premier after John Barilaro’s shock resignation

John Barilaro has delivered an emotional final message after Nationals MPs voted for his replacement as NSW Deputy Premier.

John Barilaro has delivered a lengthy, emotional and unscripted speech before being replaced as the Deputy Premier for NSW.

Mr Barilaro joined Nationals MPs for a partyroom meeting at parliament house on Tuesday, where Paul Toole took over the reins.

Unlike Gladys Berejiklian, who didn’t attend the meeting where her successor as Premier Dominic Perrottet was chosen, Mr Barilaro showed up for the vote and spoke to his colleagues for nearly 30 minutes.

The Nationals meeting went for an hour, twice as long as the Liberals.

“He was very emotional,” Mr Toole told reporters afterwards.

“And he actually went through every member in that party room and had a story to tell each about every single person.”

Mr Barilaro had tears in his eyes when he spoke to NCA NewsWire after the meeting, which was held behind closed doors in state parliament.

“It‘s a surreal moment, the end of a political career,” Mr Barilaro said.

Paul Toole will become Deputy Premier of NSW. Picture: Flavio Brancaleone

“But I got to go out of my terms and it was just nice to recount with my colleagues, just the experience that I’ve had along the way and each and every one of them.”

Mr Toole, the Regional Roads Minister and former party deputy, triumphed over rival Melinda Pavey at a party room meeting to become the state’s second-highest political official.

Mental Health Minister Bronnie Taylor was chosen as deputy party leader.

The Nationals MP meeting was twice as long as the meeting Liberals held the day before in the same parliament dining hall.

John Barilaro has said he will quit politics. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gaye Gerard

Mr Toole has been the MP for Bathurst since 2011 and has been the NSW Nationals‘ deputy leader since 2019.

“I want to make sure that we focus on the people of this state, to make sure that we get back to work, and that it's business as usual, because the people of this state have been doing it tough now for a number of years,” Mr Toole told reporters.

MPs who backed Mr Toole pointed to his performance as acting deputy premier while outgoing leader Mr Barilaro took time off for his mental health following the parliament drama known as the “koala wars” last year.

Melinda Pavey has thrown her hat in the ring. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Jenny Evans

He beat Water Minister Melinda Pavey for the job. The Oxley MP put her hand up shortly after Mr Barilaro quit.

It’s the second time Ms Pavey has lost to Mr Toole in a leadership vote – the Bathurst MP beat her for the role of deputy party leader in 2019.

It has earlier been suggested the new party deputy leader, Ms Taylor, could run for Mr Barilaro’s lower house seat of Monaro, attempting to reclaim the seat at a looming by-election.

“I would always back Bronnie Taylor, she’s already the unofficial member for Monaro,” Mr Barilaro earlier told reporters.

Bronnie Taylor has put herself forward for the Nationals’ deputy position. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Joel Carrett

Ms Taylor, who lives in the electorate of Monaro, told Sky News when asked about a possible run for the lower house seat: “You never rule anything out.”

Mr Barilaro’s shock departure followed that of Gladys Berejiklian, whose resignation as NSW premier led to former treasurer Dominic Perrottet ascending to fill her position after a vote on Tuesday morning.