Clive Palmer’s United Australia Party to run in every lower house seat, woos Brian Burston

Clive Palmer says his new party will field candidates in every House of Reps seat as Brian Burston signs up as his first MP.

Clive Palmer’s new political party will run a candidate in every lower house seat at the next election, as the controversial businessman unveiled One Nation defector Brian Burston as his party’s first MP.

Mr Palmer said he would run for the House of Representatives at the next poll but has not yet announced the electorate he will contest.

His claimed the creation of his United Australia Party would give people a choice outside of the two major parties.

Mr Palmer said the party would embody the spirit of Liberal Party founder Sir Robert Menzies, who also led the Liberal Party’s predecessor party which had the same name as Mr Palmer’s new one.

“We want to return to our roots when politicians really mattered and could do something for the nation,” Mr Palmer said.

Senator Burston denied he misled the Senate this morning when he announced he would sit as an independent, claiming he had not yet decided to join Mr Palmer’s party. He told the Senate he was an independent just an hour-and-half before he stood with Mr Palmer at a press conference.

“We were still negotiating right to the last minute,” Senator Burston said.

“I resigned from the One Nation political party because I wanted to honour a handshake I made with Mathias Cormann. I wanted to maintain my integrity and others did not want me to do so.

“I am happy to join the United Australia Party. We will unite Australia and we will bring integrity back into the Senate.”

Former One Nation Senator Brian Burston and businessman Clive Palmer after their press conference.

Mr Palmer denied he had any responsibility to pay workers who had not received wages from his failed Queensland Nickel refinery in Townsville, saying he planned to reopen the business.

He also claimed he did not sack anyone from his business, arguing it was the responsibility of the administrators.

“The administrator was offered a full cheque to pay everybody out, the workforce was asked to be transferred to a new company and the administrator decide not to take the money but to get the fees on liquidation for himself,” he said.

Mr Palmer said his former party failed because it was based too much on one personality, rather than a broader movement.

“That is a testimony of the fact of why you shouldn’t have one-person parties; that is a mistake,” he said.

He noted the critics believed he would never enter parliament when he ran in 2013.

“Courage is one of the rarest commodities in politics, it is very hard to find it, especially in this place,” Mr Palmer said.

“I am very happy to say that Brian has shown a great amount of courage and a great amount of foresight to stand up for the people who elected him, to aim for their aspirations.”