Endangered Liberal Craig Kelly returns to loyalty

Liberal maverick Craig Kelly has walked away from his threat to quit the Liberal Party if he loses pre­selection.

Liberal MP Craig Kelly faces a preselection battle in his seat of Hughes. Picture: Britta Campion

Liberal maverick Craig Kelly has walked away from his threat to quit the Liberal Party and move to the crossbench if he loses pre­selection, just hours after repeating the warning.

The NSW MP continued to warn yesterday that he would become a vocal independent if he was rolled by the party in his seat of Hughes, but folded later when tackled over the threat.

“Of course I’ll stay in the ­government,” Mr Kelly told Sky News.

“I was elected as a Liberal Party member and I’ll continue to fight for the Liberal Party’s ­values.”

When contacted by The Australian yesterday, Mr Kelly ­repeated his threat to move to the crossbench if preselectors snubbed him. A Liberal MP said Mr Kelly had consistently ignored the wishes of branch members and “they’re kind of over it”.

But former prime minister Tony Abbott threw his support ­behind his fellow conservative, telling NSW Liberal Party state ­director Chris Stone the gov­ernment would be “in very deep trouble” if Mr Kelly wasn’t protected.

In a letter obtained by The Australian, Mr Abbott called Mr Kelly a “rare voice for common sense” in the energy debate and an MP who had “often saved the government from itself”.

“Our party and government would be in very deep trouble … were we to lose to internal politicking an outstanding local member and prolific contributor to policy debate in Craig Kelly,” he wrote last week.

“I have worked closely with Craig at the last three elections and have seen his personal following turn Hughes from a ­notionally Labor seat to a reasonably secure Liberal one …

“But it’s in the partyroom that he has really stood out as an MP who does his policy homework and is prepared to argue respectfully against all-comers for his position and his principles.”

Mr Abbott said a move against Mr Kelly would be viewed as a “factional and political payback”.

“It would highlight how far we’ve moved from the ‘broad church’ of John Howard’s time and make the task of winning a third term … even more difficult.”

Mr Kelly faces a challenge from NSW Liberal Party vice-president Kent Johns. Malcolm Turnbull has also endorsed Mr Kelly.

Mr Kelly had threatened to quit the government and be an outspoken crossbencher if he were rolled as the party’s candidate. He has said there would be sev­ere consequences if he lost pre­selection to a “left-wing factional stitch-up”, saying he could run as an independent at the next poll. ­