Pauline Hanson sacks Brian Burston from One Nation, demands he quit Senate

PAULINE Hanson has sacked Brian Burston from her One Nation party and demanded he quit the Senate as the fallout from the party’s infighting over the Coalition’s tax cuts intensifies.

PAULINE Hanson has asked her One Nation NSW senator Brian Burston to resign from the Senate over his decision to support the government’s company tax cuts.

Senator Hanson sent Burston a letter saying she does not have confidence in him, and she wants him to resign from the Senate to allow her to pick a replacement.

“I no longer have confident in you as an officer of Pauline Hanson’s One Nation,” she wrote today.

“You have been removed as deputy registered officer in NSW and in the federal party. Please consider resigning from the Senate seat and handing it back to the party.

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Pauline Hanson and Brian Burston in happier times. Picture: Kym Smith

“It would be the honourable thing to do as you would not be a senator but for your association with me. You describe yourself as loyal to me and I now ask that you demonstrate that loyalty by giving up your seat in the Senate to enable the party to appoint a replacement NSW senator.”

“I bear you no animosity or ill will. However, I can no longer be confident that you will work as a member of my team, and both our interests will be served if you resign from the Senate.”

However her long-time friend is unlikely to follow suit. He said he would never “voluntarily” leave the Senate and described her letter as a “massive dummy spit”.

“No, I will not be resigning from One Nation and I most certainly will not ever be resigning from my senate position,” Senator Burston told 2GB radio.

Thank you for all the kind messages of support! I know I wear my heart on my sleeve sometimes but I have always tried to be open & honest with the people. I will continue to work hard in the Senate fighting for what I believe in & fighting for Australia. -PH

— Pauline Hanson 🇦🇺 (@PaulineHansonOz) June 1, 2018

The latest One Nation saga came after Senator Hanson burst into tears during an emotional TV interview detailing her feud with Senator Burston.

In an interview on The Bolt Report, the party leader accused Senator Burton of stabbing her in the back.

She said Senator Burston had attempted to join the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party — a claim he has denied.

Pauline Hanson broke down during an emotional TV interview. Picture: Sky News

“This isn’t the first time Brian has stabbed me in the back, and it hurts me. It hurts me deeply because … it means so much to me, what I’m trying to do,” Senator Hanson told interviewer Ben Fordham.

“And for him to turn around and do this to me, it’s hard. But I’m going to keep going and I’m going to get good people in that Parliament beside me because it means so much to me, to help people who need help.”

A tearful Senator Hanson said voters were “sick of politicians because they don’t do anything”.

“I’ve been able to achieve so much in such a short period of time and I’m not finished.

“And if you think I’m going to let Brian Burston or anyone else to finish me. They will not just sit on the seats and do absolutely nothing and think that they can have a cosy ride and take the pay and the taxpayer funds and not work for it.”

Earlier, Senator Hanson slammed Brian Burston for his decision to vote for the Coalition’s proposed company tax cuts.

Senator Burston has claimed he was blindside by a front page report in The Australian last week in which Senator Hanson withdrew her support for the Coalition’s proposed company tax cuts.

Burston said he wanted to honour a handshake agreement with the government to support the deal.

Originally published as Pauline Hanson sacks Brian Burston from One Nation, demands he quit Senate