Our new PM? Julie Bishop’s sassiest moments

AFTER 11 years as the Liberal Party’s deputy leader, Julie Bishop is making a run at the big job. And her challenge is coinciding with an explosion of sass.

COULD Julie Bishop be our next Prime Minister?

With the Liberal leadership now officially a three-horse race, the Foreign Affairs Minister is the latest to announce she’ll throw her hat in the ring if a second leadership spill takes place.

And, with Peter Dutton now reportedly just one signature away from securing a spill to oust Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, there’s a chance Australians could be calling J-Bish their new PM as early as Friday afternoon.

The other candidate vying to replace Mr Turnbull is Treasurer Scott Morrison, but with things in Canberra moving a mile a minute and the rest of the country scrambling to keep up, anything can happen.

In the meantime, we took a deep dive into the woman that is Julie Bishop, starting with her most memorable — and sassiest — moments.

THAT TIME SHE SHUT DOWN KARL STEFANOVIC

Woman of the people J-Bish does not rattle easily, proven earlier this week when she expertly sledged Today host Karl Stefanovic during an interview on the morning show.

Watch her stinging response when asked how she felt “talking to a man on death row” below.

J-BISH IS ‘NO MAN’S DEPUTY’

Ms Bishop hasn’t minced her words when it comes to the potential leadership showdown. The West Australian lawyer has been the Liberal Party’s second in command for more than a decade, serving as deputy to three leaders. Now, with a public profile that has put her ahead of Mr Turnbull in the popularity stakes, it sounds like she’s ready to take a run at the top job.

In her pitch to colleagues on Thursday, J-Bish informed them she won’t be “another man’s deputy”, The Australian reported.

Julie Bishop has remained quietly steadfast throughout this latest leadership spill, but now it looks like her time to shine. Picture: Kym Smith

HER BIGGEST SUPPORTER

Ms Bishop’s long-term partner David Panton publicly voiced his support for the popular Liberal candidate while attending the Myer runway series in Sydney on Thursday night.

When asked who will win the leadership spill, Mr Panton confidently told the Herald Sun: “You’re heard it straight from the horse’s mouth — by tomorrow at lunch time Julie Bishop will definitely be Prime Minister.”

Julie Bishop's partner David Panton tonight, who is attending the Myer runway series in Sydney, when asked who will win #libspill
"You're heard it straight from the horse's mouth - by tomorrow at lunch time Julie Bishop will definately be Prime Minister," he told @AnnaHeraldSun

— Paul Tatnell (@PaulTatnell) August 23, 2018

Ms Bishop’s partner David Panton had her back during the Myer show. Picture: Toby Zerna

‘DID YOU REALLY JUST SAY THAT?’

Ms Bishop’s Kiwi counterpart Winston Peters found himself in the middle of Australia’s leadership stoush earlier this week when asked by reporters about the tumultuous political situation across the ditch. But when J-Bish tried to wrap-up the joint press conference in Canberra on Wednesday after being grilled about whether she’d been “working the phones” in preparation for another leadership spill, Mr Peters didn’t appear to have her back.

The NZ Foreign Minister announced he couldn’t exit the stage because there was another question from a journalist.

“She’s a female, I’ve got to answer the question,” he told Ms Bishop.

“Did you really just say that?” she shot back.

“I’ll look like a chauvinist,” Mr Peters tried to reason.

Awkward.

‘This guy …’ Picture: AAP/Lukas Coch

WHEN SHE ADVISED SOUTH AFRICA TO IGNORE DUTTON

In March, Mr Dutton triggered outrage when he said White South African farmers “deserve special attention” from Australia due to the “horrific circumstances” of land seizures and violence. South African foreign ministry officials responded that they “could not believe” the home affairs minister’s comments about immigration and demanded a retraction.

Ms Bishop’s prompt response? She effectively said they should ignore Mr Dutton’s comments and dismissed his entire policy idea.

‘Also this guy...’ Picture: AAP/Dean Lewins

RAISING EYEBROWS WITH EMOJIS

The 62-year-old isn’t afraid to show her playful side, and has become known for scattering emojis into her tweets.

She even conducted an entire interview with Buzzfeed in the format, using the “pouting face” to represent Vladimir Putin and a running man emoji for then-prime minister and keen jogger Tony Abbott.

Questioned over the interview by Labor Senator Penny Wong, Ms Bishop replied:

Happy to provide @SenatorWong 😳 with a translation of emoji to a language Labor understands 😎

— Julie Bishop (@JulieBishopMP) October 21, 2015

AN INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT TO DIE FOR

The 62-year-old with the killer stare and the snappy suits also has an Instagram account that is a testament to her polished style. Armani suits, Louboutin heels and Rachel Gilbert gowns. A regular on the red carpet, J-Bish has the wardrobe of our dreams.

Fierce suits aside, Julie Bishop — steadfast deputy to Tony Abbott and Malcolm Turnbull over the years — has emerged as a powerful and popular figure in the game of chess that is the Liberal leadership battle.

A News Corp Australia online poll showed Ms Bishop was the preferred leader for the party among readers with 34 per cent of votes, followed by Mr Turnbull at 30 per cent, Tony Abbott at 17 per cent Peter Dutton at 10 per cent.

For now, it’s a waiting game.

Ms Bishop could be named as Australia’s next Prime Minister before the weekend. Picture: AAP/Sam Mooy