Former leader Matthew Guy unloads on Liberal Party

Former Liberal leader Matthew Guy has torched his own party in an explosive interview with a high-profile radio host.

Former Victorian opposition leader Matthew Guy has unloaded on his own party in his first wide-ranging interview since his humiliating election defeat in November.

In an interview with Melbourne radio host Neil Mitchell, Mr Guy, who lost his second straight landslide to Daniel Andrews last year, criticised state president Greg Mirabella, saying he “should go”. He also lashed out at unnamed “faceless leakers”.

“We need to expunge these faceless leakers,” Mr Guy said in an incendiary interview, released by 3AW on Tuesday.

Matthew Guy has unloaded on his own party in the wake of last year’s election defeat, criticising state president Greg Mirabella and the party’s ‘faceless leakers’. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Wayne Taylor

After losing the 2018 state election, Mr Guy returned as the leader of the Liberal and National Coalition ahead of last year’s poll after replacing Michael O’Brien in 2021.

But his return as Coalition leader resulted in a second landslide defeat.

“I think there was a view we were going to do better than we did,” Mr Guy said.

Early into the long interview Mr Guy turned on his own party and said people within the organisation were trading in gossip in order to maintain relevance, all to the Liberal Party’s detriment.

Mr Guy did not name individuals but said they were former staff and members of the administrative committee.

“These are the people who are doing the party real damage,” he said

“During the election this was occurring.”

Mr Guy’s bid to unseat the Premier was beset by setbacks, such as former shadow attorney-general Tim Smith’s drink-driving crash and the resignation of his chief of staff Mitch Catlin, who reportedly asked a wealthy party donor to pay $100,000 into his personal business account.

Mr Guy said Liberal Party state president Greg Mirabella ‘should go’. Picture: Arsineh Houspian.

Mr Guy said there was “no doubt” an internal party member leaked Mr Catlin’s story to the media to damage their election prospects.

He said he believed Mr Mirabella was a “hindrance to the campaign”.

“I blame him,” Mr Guy said.

“I think he should go.”

Saving some harsh words for his political opponents, Mr Guy said it was “very difficult” to hear stories about what Victorians endured during the pandemic.

“What angers me is the people who had very little sympathy for all of this and tried to explain it away and treat it as a PR exercise,” he said of the Labor Party.