Scott Morrison backs candidate Katherine Deves despite civil war inside Liberal party

Scott Morrison has backed Warringah candidate Katherine Deves despite a new leaked email revealing the civil war inside the Liberal party.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has defied calls from within his own party to disendorse the Liberal candidate for Warringah, Katherine Deves, over her anti-transgender views.

Speaking to reporters at the airport in Melbourne, Mr Morrison was confronted with comments by NSW Treasurer Matt Kean, a prominent member of his party.

“This is not an intolerant society,” Mr Kean told news.com.au.

“These kinds of horrendous views are not okay, and I’m sure the voters of Warringah agree. Time for the Liberal Party to beat them to it and disendorse her.

“There is no place in a mainstream political party for bigotry.”

A number of Ms Deves’ past social media posts, since deleted, have emerged in recent days. In one post, she described transgender children as “surgically mutilated”. In another, she claimed “half of all males with trans identities are sex offenders”.

“Does she have to go?” a reporter asked Mr Morrison today.

He replied that it was “important for there to be fundamental respect for human dignity of each and every human being” in political debates.

“And I think as we look at these issues and the debates, which can be sensitive debates, they can be controversial debates. It‘s always important to show respect for the person sitting across the table from you.

“And so I think the comments that Katherine has made, obviously, were insensitive. And she‘s admitted that.”

He proceeded to accuse Labor candidates of saying “insensitive” things as well.

“What Katherine has been saying is there’s been ways that she’s prosecuted her case on what she’s very passionate about – this is a woman standing up for women and girls in sport. That’s her primary issue that she’s raised,” the Prime Minister said.

Ms Deves wants to ban trans women from competing in women’s sport, a stance Mr Morrison supports.

“There are ways that she’s expressed this in the past that she no longer feels comfortable with. And it’s important that she understands that and learns those lessons. Which she has.”

Katherine Deves, a candidate for Liberal preselection in the federal electorate of Warringah. Picture: Supplied

Mr Morrison said he did not agree with Mr Kean and would not join the “pile-on” on Ms Deves, echoing remarks by former prime minister Tony Abbott.

In a follow-up question, Mr Morrison was asked whether his reluctance to ditch Ms Deves was rooted in the fact she was one of his “captain’s picks”.

“I think I‘ve explained my position very clearly. My position is that there are things that Katherine has said in the past – just like the Labor member for Hunter has said some pretty unfortunate and disrespectful things in the past. I haven’t called for him to be disendorsed. I haven’t called for that with others who have said insensitive things,” he said.

“(Katherine is) a strong woman standing up for things that she‘s believes in about women and girls in sport, which I know is a very sensitive issue in so many communities, but it has to be done respectfully, out of respect for the human dignity of every individual and I’m sure there are lessons that she has learned.”

Prime Minister Scott Morrison at a press conference today. Picture: Jason Edwards

News.com.au broke the story on Wednesday that Ms Deves had deleted her Twitter account after becoming a candidate.

But a search of archived posts revealed she had suggested trans children were surgically mutilated and that she found the rainbow Pride flag “triggering”. She later issued a public apology.

NSW Treasurer Matt Kean took the extraordinary step on Friday night of demanding the Prime Minister dump Liberal candidate for Warringah Katherine Deves over her “horrendous” views. His intervention followed calls by former Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s to end the “pile on” of a “brave woman.”

But a leaked email obtained by news.com.au from Condamine Liberal Party branch president Walter Villatora has voiced fury about the candidate for Warringah.

“I’m sorry Jeff, presidents and many members are calling for Ms Deves resignation in light of her hurtful and divisive comments that have proliferated the media,” he wrote.

Treasurer and Minister for Energy Matt Kean. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Damian Shaw

Mr Villatora urged the party to run dead in Warringah and focus on the electorate of Bennelong.

Mr Abbott, the former member for Warringah, who was booted out of Parliament at the 2019 election by Independent Zali Stegall, has backed the embattled candidate after revelations she compared her campaign against trans women playing sport to the Nazi resistance.

“She’s a tough, brave person who’s standing up for the rights of women and girls, for fairness in sport,” Mr Abbott told The Sydney Morning Herald.

“I very much admire her and can’t understand the pile on from people who claim to be supporters of women’s rights.”

Furious Liberals have insisted the Prime Minister must have known the candidates’ controversial views that have exploded as a campaign issue because she was vetted by the Liberal Party’s strict nomination review committee.

The Prime Minister has a representative on that committee – the man recently described by a Liberal senator as his “consigliere” Immigration Minister Alex Hawke.

“He promptly threw his captain’s pick under a bus, saying he was “unaware” of the history of offensive comments by Deves including her labelling of trans kids as “surgically mutilated”,’’ a Liberal source said.

– with Samantha Maiden