Liberals lash ‘turncoat Malcolm Turnbull’ over lies

Christopher Pyne has disputed Malcolm Turnbull’s claim Scott Morrison had a reputation of being a liar.

Malcolm Turnbull at the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow.

Former defence minister Christopher Pyne, who once compared Malcolm Turnbull to the Christ-like Chronicles of Narnia character Aslan, has disputed his claim that Scott Morrison had a reputation of being a liar.

Mr Pyne, one of Mr Turnbull’s strongest backers when they were in parliament, said he had never found Mr Morrison to be dishonest, as Liberal MPs piled into their former leader over his lashing of the Prime Minister on the world stage.

“In my experience, Scott Morrison never lied to me,” Mr Pyne said. When asked if Mr Morrison had a reputation within the government of being a liar, Mr Pyne said: “Not in my experience.”

At the UN climate change conference in Glasgow, Mr Turnbull endorsed French President Emmanuel Macron’s assessment that Mr Morrison was a liar in an escalation of the former prime minister’s campaign against his successor.

Mr Turnbull said Mr Morrison had “lied to me on many occasions … Scott has always had a reputation for telling lies.”

Mr Turnbull, who was at the conference promoting hydrogen on behalf of Andrew Forrest’s Fortescue Future Industries, denied his constant criticisms of the Morrison government were undermining the office of prime minister. “I’m entitled to express my point of view on any matter I choose. It is a free country,” he said.

“The only person who is damaging the office of prime minister’s credibility at the moment is the incumbent. I haven’t deceived anybody.”

Mr Morrison refused to be drawn into a war of words with his predecessor. “I always treat all former prime ministers with respect, and I’m going to continue to do that,” he said.

He hit back at criticism over the leaking of private messages with Mr Macron after the French leader accused him of lying about Australia’s intentions over cancel­lation of the $90bn submarine contract. “Claims had been made and those claims were refuted,” he said. “What is most important to the Australian people … is that we do everything we can to ensure that Australia’s defences are the best they possibly can be.

“If others have other motives, if others have other agendas, well that’s for them.”

Acting Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce said Mr Turnbull needed to “reflect on what he is doing to his legacy”. “I don’t think I would have ever heard John Howard say something like that or Julia Gillard, other former prime ministers,” he told the ABC. “Malcolm is one of a kind. Wasn’t he talking about dip­lomacy? I mean, Malcolm, is this your example of it?”

Foreign Minister Marise Payne — a former supporter and friend of Mr Turnbull — also rejected claims Mr Morrison had a reputation for telling lies. “I don’t support that, and I don’t agree with that,” she told 2GB.

Anthony Albanese seized on Mr Turnbull’s comments, saying the had “called out Scott Morrison” and “those people who know him (Mr Morrison) best, who’ve worked with him the closest, can attest to the flaws in his character, particularly when it comes to truthfulness. This is something that characterises Scott Morrison and his government.”

The Opposition Leader said the text message exchange with Mr Macron “released by the Prime Minister’s office, one would assume, is a private text message from a private phone to a private phone … Even if it showed something of significance, you wouldn’t release a private text message between people.

“That’s not the way you build relations between countries. That’s not diplomacy. That’s causing major problems,” he said.