Peter Dutton fudges reports Malcolm Turnbull offered him deputy role

Peter Dutton has failed to deny reports Malcolm Turnbull offered him deputy Liberal leader role to stop his leadership challenge.

Malcolm Turnbull reportedly offered Peter Dutton the job of deputy leader. Picture: Sean Davey.

Peter Dutton has failed to deny reports Malcolm Turnbull offered him the position of deputy Liberal leader in a desperate attempt to stop a challenge to his prime ministership.

The Courier Mail yesterday reported the Home Affairs Minister turned down the offer, because he believed he had the numbers to become leader.

News of the offer raised questions about what Mr Turnbull would have told his deputy Julie Bishop, who has since resigned from the front bench after coming third in last month’s leadership contest after Mr Dutton and Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

Asked about whether reports he was offered the job were true during his regular radio spot with host Ray Hadley on Sydney’s 2GB, Mr Dutton said: “Well Ray, again, it’s all history now.”

“I take it that it did happen then?” Hadley asked.

“I’m just not going to rake over it,” Mr Dutton replied.

“Well it happened, because you just said ‘it’s history’,” Hadley said.

“I understand you don’t want to move forward, not look back, but if it happened, it happened, and that would put Julie Bishop in a very unenviable position given that she was loyal, and he seemed loyal to her, but he was prepared to throw her under the bus to try and placate you at some stage, and so that’s a very important piece of information Julie Bishop should know about.”

Mr Dutton again deflected.

“Ray, I’ve got one objective, and that is to make sure that Scott Morrison’s elected Prime Minister at the next election so that Bill Shorten is not, and I think Scott has got off to a very good start,” he said.

“I think people see a down-to-earth bloke, someone who is authentic and genuine, and I think he’s going to continue to go from strength to strength and fix up some of the policy mistakes of the past, make the investments into roads, get people’s electricity prices down. I mean that’s the only thing I’m focused on.”