Malcolm Turnbull said Scott Morrison played a ‘double game’ in the week leading to his 2018 downfall

Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull believed Scott Morrison played ‘a double game’ in the week of his 2018 downfall.

Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull. Picture: Kym Smith

Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull believed Scott Morrison played “a double game” in the week of his 2018 downfall, where 43 Liberal MPs signed a letter for a new leader.

Mr Turnbull revealed in the second episode of the ABC’s political documentary series Nemesis – chronicling the former Coalition government – that his former treasurer’s “modus operandi” was to “publicly go one way, and get his henchman to go the other”.

A second leadership spill in late August 2018 saw Mr Morrison, Peter Dutton and Julie Bishop go head-to-head for the Liberal leadership in which Mr Morrison came out on top.

“Looking back at that week, it’s clear to me that Morrison played a double game on the Tuesday, and that his people, six or seven we think, voted for Dutton in that spill, and that made Dutton’s numbers look better and increased the pressure on me,” he told the ABC.

“Did Scott vote for Dutton, I would doubt that, but he might have.”

Mr Turnbull went on to call Mr Morrison “the ultimate control freak”.

Former prime minister Scott Morrison became Malcolm Turnbull’s successor in 2018.

The second episode of the tell-all series, which has interviewed 60 former Coalition MPs, ministers and political observers of the Coalition’s nine years in government, followed Mr Turnbull’s controversial three years as prime minister including the climate wars, the “Mediscare” campaign, same-sex marriage vote and Barnaby Joyce’s affair scandal.

Mr Morrison said accusations of a double game were untrue and there were “errors in judgment” during that week, unleashing a series of events that resulted in a new prime minister.

“That sometimes is a harder thing to accept than the fact that someone’s done you in as that’s just not how it happened,” Mr Morrison told the ABC.

The documentary also revealed Mr Joyce initially lied to Mr Turnbull about the affair between him and his staffer Vicki Campion.

Mr Turnbull said the minister “absolutely unequivocally denied there was any sexual relationship”, in which Mr Joyce admitted in the episode he did lie to the former prime minister.

“I think I definitely lied to him because it wasn’t his right to know,” Mr Joyce said.

“How many other people in this building are you asking about their personal life?

“We all know what happens. I can nominate a few. Where do you want to start?”

Barnaby Joyce during question time in Parliament House. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Both men staged duelling press conferences in which Mr Turnbull chided his deputy PM and announced the “bonk ban”.

Mr Joyce told the ABC following the infamous press conference he went to confront Mr Turnbull and saw Mr Morrison leaving the prime minister’s office.

“I strongly believe it was a plan by Morrison to get rid of me,” Mr Joyce claimed.

“I think he was an instigator of the bonk ban. I think Turnbull’s the narrator of it and Morrison was the architect of it. And if that’s not the case, then someone should say so.”

Mr Morrison called the notion “nonsense” and that it was Mr Turnbull’s idea and he was “a very enthusiastic supporter”.