Defector to leave Turnbull with a minority government

A COALITION MP said he will quit next month if Malcolm Turnbull does not stand aside. His departure would spell disaster for the Government which would be left with a minority.

The departure would leave the Primer Minister in a whole world of trouble. Picture: AAP.

CHAOS is on the cards as a Coalition MP reportedly said he would quit next month — which would leave the Prime Minister with a minority government.

Sky News commentator Andrew Bolt reported last night that the unnamed pollie would only stay if Malcolm Turnbull is replaced by a leader who can appeal to conservative voters.

The threat has left Deputy Liberal leader Julie Bishop urging her colleague to discuss his concerns with her or the Prime Minister.

“This government has left the party and the values of the party,” the anonymous lower house MP told Mr Bolt.

“It is miles away from what our rank and file say.

“People tell me Malcolm Turnbull can’t make decisions, he dithers ...

“The final thing they say is that he’s a million miles from our values.”

The timing couldn’t be worse for the government as Barnaby Joyce and John Alexander are fighting by-elections after having to quit and renounce their dual citizenship.

And, the Turnbull Government now holds just 74 of the 148 seats in the House of Representatives.

Ms Bishop told Sky News she was not aware of an MP holding these views but would be “very concerned” if it were the case.

The government is already fighting two by-elections. Picture by Antony Hands. Source: News Corp Australia.

“If they are thinking that way I’d hope they’d come and talk to me or talk to the Prime Minister about their concerns rather than talking to the media,” she told Sky News.

“If somebody really is concerned, well then, please come and talk to us. My door’s always open.”

Transport Minister Darren Chester said he saw anonymous sources quoted in the paper every day.

“I say if you haven’t got the guts to put your name to it, don’t waste your time ringing a journo up,” he told Sky News.

“What Australia needs right now is certainty, confidence, stability.

“We’ve created in the order of 500,000 jobs over the last two years. We want businesses to keep creating jobs.

Foreign Minister and Deputy Leader Julie Bishop said the MP should talk to her. Source: AAP.

“We want that certainty and that confidence. It doesn’t help to have people backgrounding against the leadership.”

However, Mr Chester criticised the unnamed person for not having “the guts to put your name to it”.

“You’ve got my mobile number, mate, whoever you are,” he told Fairfax.

“Give me a call and we’ll talk through your issues. But we’ve got a big agenda, we’re delivering everything we said we’d do at the last election.”