Dumped Liberal candidate claimed pornography was making people transgender

Dumped Liberal candidate Ben Britton’s belief that pornography is making men transgender was among the reasons he was quietly dumped.

Dumped Liberal candidate Ben Britton’s belief that pornography is making men transgender is one of the undisclosed reasons the Coalition dumped him.

Liberal insiders have revealed that the NSW division dumped the former paratrooper because they “didn’t want another Katharine Deves” on their hands.

That’s a reference to the Liberal candidate who made news in 2022 over her views on the transgender issue.

Mr Britton outlined his views on the dangers of pornography during a podcast last year.

“It’s becoming an epidemic online. It’s destroying society,” Mr Britton told the podcast.

“It’s normalised things that’s aren’t normal.

“It started push them into transgender desires.

“Then it moves to ‘I want to be a woman in the film’ because there’s nothing left at that point.”

Dumped Liberal candidate Ben Britton.

But Mr Britton, who once served in East Timor as a paratrooper, is fighting back, insisting he’s the victim of a misguided witch hunt.

Mr Dutton disclosed today there were a “number of issues” beyond those aired in public.

The Liberal Leader said that he supported “women serving in any role that they wanted to serve” in the ADF.

“There were a number of issues, not just those that have been made public in relation to the candidate, and we took a decision to replace Ben as the candidate,” Mr Dutton said.

“That’s the decision we’ve taken. I wish him well, and that’s the only public commentary I’ve got to make in relation to this.”

News.com.au understands the undisclosed views include his beliefs there’s a link between watching porn and becoming transgender.

Liberal insiders also disputed claims on his nomination form that he had provided advice to Liberal frontbencher James Patterson and Andrew Hastie.

Senator Paterson claims he only met Mr Britton in person once.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has previously said the decision to preselect such a candidate was a concern.,

“I think the women of Australia will be asking themselves ‘What is going on?’ when Peter Dutton can endorse a bloke that has the views that he put forward over a long period of time, who is a former candidate of the UAP. This is a part of the takeover of the Liberal party by the hard-right,” Mr Albanese said.

Mr Britton has now quit the party and he is going to run as an independent.

Peter Dutton. Picture: Thomas Lisson / NewsWire

Earlier Mr Britton, now ditched as the Liberal candiate for Whitlam, claimed “traitors” in the party were “stabbing” Peter Dutton in the back to depose him as leader.

“Look, at the end of the day, it’s a witch hunt because they didn’t want me there,” Mr Britton told 2GB.

“And it’s the factions within the party that didn’t want me there. It’s because I wouldn’t, you know, sign up to a faction. I wouldn’t be controlled.

“My position is the same as Andrew Hastie, the Shadow Minister for Defence and the great Jim Molan that women should not serve specifically in combat roles, specifically in the Army itself.”

“The (Liberal Party) left faction works in hand in glove with members of the right faction, who are traitors to stab Peter Dutton in the back ensure he doesn’t get elected as the prime minister, so they can roll him as leader.

“That’s what’s happening.”

News.com.au revealed last week that in a series of fringe podcast interviews before his December preselection, Mr Britton blamed “diversity and equity quotas, Marxist ideology and woke ideologies” for weakening Australia’s defence.

He also said women shouldn’t serve in military combat roles.

“Their hips are being destroyed because they can’t cope with the carrying of the heavy loads and the heavy impacts that’s required for doing combat-related jobs,” he said.

“Why would you want to send your beautiful women? Your females, the ones that are the backbone of your society. Your society only exists because of women. Why would you want to sacrifice them in war, on the altar?”

Mr Britton, who served Australia in the 3rd Battalion Royal Australian Regiment, pointed to the federal government’s 2013 decision to lift gender restrictions on frontline combat positions.

But he told 2GB he was being misrepresented.

“Just first of all, just need to correct something that you said yesterday. You said that I don’t want women in the ADF. That’s, in fact, the opposite,” Mr Britton said.

“The opposite is true. I serve with great women in the ADF. I serve with extraordinary women. My position is the same as Andrew Hastie, the Shadow Minister for defence, that women should not serve, specifically in combat roles.”

Benjamin Britton was dumped by the Liberals after declaring women shouldn’t serve in military combat roles. Picture: Liberal Party

On Sunday, the Liberal Party took swift action, telling news.com.au he was no longer a candidate.

“The Administrative Committee of the NSW Division met today and has endorsed Nathaniel Smith as the Liberal candidate for the seat of Whitlam,” it said.

The Liberal Party explained that this “this follows a decision to disendorse Benjamin Britton over views expressed which were not previously disclosed and are inconsistent with the party’s position”.

“Nathaniel is raising his two daughters with his wife Christine in the Southern Highlands. He is the Chief Executive of the Master Plumbers Association of NSW, providing a strong voice for the plumbing industry, and working to deliver a better deal for small and family businesses,” it said.

“Starting his career as an apprentice plumber, going on to run his own plumbing business, before taking up tertiary studies in communications and joining a communication consultancy. In 2019 he was elected as the Member for Wollondilly, serving until 2023.

Though he had served alongside “tremendous” women in the ADF, Mr Britton previously told right-wing figure Joel Jammal that “if we’re to fix our defence force, unfortunately, they’re going to need to remove females from combat corps”.

About 20 per cent of Australia’s military personnel are women.

Mr Dutton and Mr Britton pictured together. Picture: Liberal Party

The Coalition said Mr Britton’s comments were “inconsistent with the party’s position”.

In January, the Coalition leader shared a photo alongside Mr Britton during a visit to Moss Vale, which falls under the seat of Whitlam – currently held by retiring Labor MP Stephen Jones. Mr Britton will face Labor’s Carol Berry and the National’s Katrina Hodgkinson in the election.

“Ben’s working hard in his community and standing up for local families and small businesses, drawing on his dedication as a veteran and his leadership in the defence industry,” the post’s caption read.

“This area has been ignored by a local Labor member who is asleep at the wheel, but with our positive plans and an outstanding candidate like Ben, we’ll get this region and our country back on track.”

There is no suggestion that Mr Dutton shares Mr Britton’s views on females serving in ADF combat roles.

Mr Britton unsuccessfully ran for the United Australia Party in the 2022 federal election. Other controversial views he has expressed in the past 12 months included that exposure to pornography was “pushing” young men into “transgender desires”.

“This is why we see extreme, unrealistic sexual practices and desires in the community (that) have risen massively over the last, say, 40 years, as a direct result of pornography,” he said.

The Courier-Mail has also revealed that Mr Britton, in a Telegram group chat, once referred to Liberal colleague Senator Andrew Bragg as a “piece of globalist s***” while praising Russian President Vladimir Putin.

He also blamed “diversity and equity quotas, Marxist ideology and woke ideologies” for weakening Australia’s defence.

“Putin was called out as a traitor by the new world order. Bragg is only praised by them. Easy to see who is and is not under the influence of foreign powers,” he wrote.

“Either way, Bragg is a piece of globalist s***.”

Originally published as Dumped Liberal candidate claimed pornography was making people transgender