Nationals MPs doubtful for future Barnaby Joyce leadership tilt

Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce has no hope of being returned as leader after he was filmed lying on the street engaging in a profanity-laden phone call.

Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce lying on the ground in Canberra. Picture: X

Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce has little hope of returning as party leader after he was filmed lying on the street engaging in a profanity-laden phone call, with his partyroom colleagues suggesting pri­vately that while his leadership ambitions had been “a long shot”, they are now “a lot longer”.

The Australian on Monday spoke to a number of Nationals MPs who thought Mr Joyce had lost any potential to be returned as leader after publication of a damaging video showing him lying on a street in Canberra swearing into his phone.

The Australian understands a number of MPs put forward their views in the partyroom on Monday, with some junior Coalition members bristling at the ramifi­cations of his behaviour on the general public’s perception of MPs, while also acknowledging he may have health problems.

“It is certainly not a good look. I would think if there were any leadership ambitions that they would be a long shot but now they’re a lot longer than they were,” one MP said. “Part of it is annoying: why are we not putting our best foot forward as parliamentarians? But I also don’t know what’s going on in his life.”

One MP called for Mr Joyce to explain any medical problems he may be experiencing in order to “clear the air so people can move on”, while another said they thought it would all blow over and hoped he had the help he needed.

Nationals leader David Littleproud on Monday said Mr Joyce would be supported and not reprimanded, revealing that Mr Joyce had acknowledged to him his antics captured on Lonsdale Street in Canberra on Wednesday night did not amount to “normal behaviour”. “This is something that he’s deeply embarrassed about,” Mr Littleproud told Sky News.

“He’s made it very clear that this isn’t normal behaviour … and there are extenuating circumstances surrounding that and obviously we will support him in making sure that anything that he does need, he gets.”

The opposition veterans’ affairs spokesman made a late appearance during Monday’s question time just hours after he confirmed that he had “made a big mistake” mixing alcohol with prescription medication.

“I made a big mistake, there’s no excuse for it,” Mr Joyce told Channel 7’s Sunrise. “There is a reason, and it was a very eventful walk home. I should’ve followed … I’m on a prescription drug, and they say certain things may happen to you if you drink, and they were 100 per cent right.”