Roger Cook targets Basil Zempilas as The Clan’s preferred Liberal Party leader

WA Labor has moved to define likely next Liberal leader Basil Zempilas as ‘the second coming’ of the opposition’s conservative flank.

Basil Zempilas when running for lord mayor of Perth in 2020. Picture: Colin Murty/The Australian

WA Labor has moved to define likely next Liberal leader Basil Zempilas as “the second coming” of the opposition’s conservative flank, as Labor Premier Roger Cook looks to the other side of a largely expected landslide victory in Saturday’s state election.

Mr Zempilas, the lord mayor of Perth and a Seven West Media personality, is considered a good bet to enter the West Australian parliament as Liberal MP for the leafy suburb of Churchlands on Saturday.

It has been a little more than three months since a member of Mr Zempilas’s campaign team, Cam Sinclair, was implicated in, then resigned over his role in a failed partyroom bid to depose state party leader Libby Mettam and install Mr Zempilas as a leader in waiting.

WA Premier Roger Cook. Picture: Paul Garvey/The Australian

Mr Zempilas has denied involvement in or knowledge of the attempted coup.

Mr Cook is expected to host Anthony Albanese in Perth late this week.

On Sunday, the Premier described Mr Zempilas as the preferred leader of the WA Liberal Party as chosen by The Clan, the group led by socially conservative Liberal MP Nick Goiran.

“You already know that the Liberal candidate for Churchlands (Mr Zempilas) has already had a pop at her, tried to take her job in December last year,” Mr Cook told reporters.

“Do you think if he’s elected on March 8, he’s going to stop? Do you think he’s going to sit back and say ‘oh I had one go and therefore I will sit back and let Libby run the show?’

“Basil Zempilas, an honorary member of The Clan, is their candidate to put in as leader of the (WA) Liberal Party and the pound of silver that he has to pay in relation to that is to let Nick Goiran and his extremists run riot.”

Ms Mettam moved to sideline The Clan when she became WA Liberal leader in January last year. This was after the leaking of thousands of The Clan’s private Whats­App messages exposing the extent of the group’s plotting and influence.

The Clan was active as the party moved towards a second consecutive drubbing in 2021, a catastrophic result that left the party with just two lower house seats.

The WA Liberal Party on Sunday responded to Mr Cook’s claims, saying though a spokesman that the Premier’s “desperation is becoming a sadder spectacle every day”.

WA Liberal Leader Libby Mettam. Picture: Facebook

“His campaign is now focused entirely on talking about the ­Liberal Party – because he’s too embarrassed to talk about the present, and he is offering nothing for future,” the WA Liberal Party said.

“This tired Labor government is out of ideas. The only way to get a government that will focus on the right priorities is to vote Liberal.”

On Sunday, Mr Cook condemned commentary by Peter Garrett, who was performing at Perth Festival on Friday when he invited the audience to pretend they were dancing on the grave of billionaire Gina Rinehart.

Mrs Rinehart is alive and turned 71 last month.

Mr Cook said: “As a former member of parliament and a former minister he should know that sort of language is completely inappropriate”.

Ms Mettam was in awkward position on Saturday when Thomas Brough, the Liberal candidate for the key seat of Albany, derailed a hospital announcement by advocating for a review of abortion policy.

Ms Mettam voted for and continues to support the state’s abortion policy.