No-go from Gladys Berejiklian a headache for Scott Morrison

Scott Morrison’s push to recruit Gladys Berejiklian into federal politics is likely to fail, adding to the PM’s woes in ­getting the NSW Liberal Party battle-ready for the election.

Former NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian. Picture: Gaye Gerard

Scott Morrison’s push to recruit Gladys Berejiklian into federal politics is likely to fail, adding to the Prime Minister’s woes in ­getting the NSW Liberal Party battle-ready for an election early next year.

Mr Morrison, who personally urged Ms Berejiklian to run for the seat of Warringah, said he suspected the former NSW premier would decide against making a tilt for Canberra at next year’s ­election.

“She may choose not to go ahead here, I suspect, but that’s a matter for her, and I’ll respect her choice,” Mr Morrison said.

Liberal sources told The Australian the prospect of Ms Berejiklian running for Warringah was no longer in play, paving the way for barrister Jane Buncle to take the Liberal nomination for the northern beaches electorate.

On Monday, Mr Morrison publicly endorsed Ms Berejiklian to run for the seat after he had spent a fortnight attempting to discredit the Independent Commission Against Corruption.

Party sources said Ms Berejik­lian’s likely rejection of the nomination was a “disaster” for Mr Morrison, who is struggling to bring the NSW division together amid a factional brawl over preselections.

Ms Berejiklian was seen as the best chance for the Liberals to ­regain the seat of Warringah, which pro-climate independent Zali Steggall won at the 2019 poll from former prime minister Tony Abbott.

The Coalition needs to win seats in NSW to offset potential losses in Queensland and Western Australia, but factional infighting has delayed selecting candidates for a swag of crucial electorates in the state.

NSW Liberal officials remain deadlocked in their negotiations with the Prime Minister over how to resolve a series of disputed candidacies.

Mr Morrison is eager to see his preferred candidates installed in seats such as Dobell and Gilmore, as well as Hughes and other electorates, while moderates and conservatives are pushing for democratic contests.

To circumvent the impasse, Mr Morrison has proposed invoking a rare federal intervention that would provide him with the power to install his candidates.

The Australian revealed on Wednesday that NSW Liberals have sought legal advice and briefed barrister Scott Robertson in anticipation of a potential court battle should Mr Morrison proceed.

At issue is whether the Liberal Party should hold preselection contests, including in seats where incumbent MPs face prospective challenges.

Among those under threat are North Sydney MP Trent Zimmerman, Mitchell MP Alex Hawke and Farrer MP Sussan Ley.

NSW moderates have tentatively agreed to support this ­arrangement and shield the ­incumbents, but conservatives ­remain steadfast that they will block these moves in order to see out a democratic preselection.

The Australian has been told there was a meeting in the Prime Minister’s parliamentary office in Canberra last week with key NSW MPs including Centre-Right faction leader Mr Hawke, leading conservative Angus Taylor and senior moderates Marise Payne and Paul Fletcher.

Sources said the group agreed to pursue some of the Prime Minister’s goals, including preventing challenges against sitting MPs and an uncontested ballot in Dobell which would hand the nomination to Pentecostal preacher Jemima Gleeson.

Moderate sources say they are also moving to facilitate Mr Morrison’s push for NSW minister ­Andrew Constance to become the candidate for Gilmore, despite lawyer Paul Ell having support in the local branches.

The heart of the NSW ­dispute centres on the southern Sydney seat of ­Hughes, which conservatives have claimed as their own under a deal cut with moderates two years ago; officials are adamant that it stay with a conservative candidate, a sticking point in the negotiations.

One conservative official conceded that solving the problem of Hughes would ease much of the tension surrounding candidate ­selections in other seats, such as ­Dobell and Gilmore.

A preselection timetable is set to be voted on at a meeting of the NSW state executive next Friday, although preselections may have to be scrapped entirely if negotiations continue to stall, sources said.

Should that occur, the state executive would need to seek ­majority support of all three factions – moderates, centre-right and conservatives – to invoke powers that would see candidates selected for each seat.