WA seat of Swan up for grabs as Steve Irons to retire

Scott Morrison will go to the next federal election without his closest parliamentary confidant after WA MP Steve Irons decided he would retire from politics.

WA Liberal MP Steve Irons. Picture: AAP

Scott Morrison will go to the next federal election without his closest parliamentary confidant after West Australian MP Steve Irons decided he would retire from politics.

Mr Irons, who holds the marginal seat of Swan in Perth’s south, said in a statement to The Weekend Australian on Friday that a “recent tragic event” involving a close family friend had influenced his decision.

His retirement, only two weeks after he nominated to recontest the seat, means the Liberals will fight to retain Swan without the benefit of an incumbent member.

Swan is shaping as a key battleground at the next election, given the government holds the seat by a 3.6 per cent margin.

Mr Irons noted that when he was first elected in 2007, as a single custodial parent, he had placed his then 15-year-old son Jarrad in boarding school.

“For the five terms of parliament I have served, I have spent very little time with Jarrad. He turned 29 this week,” he said.

“My decision is a simple one, I want to spend more time with my son and my wife Cheryle, and once I finish this parliamentary term I will hang up the sign ‘gone fishing’.”

Mr Irons is widely seen as the Prime Minister’s closest friend in parliament and was a key conduit to Mr Morrison.

The departure of Mr Irons paves the way for former political adviser and public relations professional Kristy McSweeney, a regular Sky News guest, to secure the Liberal nomination for the seat.

Ms McSweeney was a surprise 11th-hour nominee for Swan when preselections for Liberal-held seats closed two weeks ago, sparking whispers that Mr Irons might be contemplating retirement.

Although Ms McSweeney would appear to be in the box seat for Swan, there is still a chance the WA Liberal Party may elect to reopen nominations following Mr Irons’s change of heart.

The southern suburbs of Perth, where the seat of Swan is located, is perceived as largely under the control of a conservative faction headed by WA upper house MP Nick Goiran.

Some Liberal Party sources believe Ms McSweeney may not enjoy support from that faction and could be vulnerable if nominations are reopened.