Scott Morrison keeps prized Warringah seat for Gladys Berejiklian

Scott Morrison and Josh Frydenberg have lobbied Gladys Berejiklian to nominate for the seat of Warringah.

Former NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian and Liberal senator Andrew Bragg at an event at Northbridge Golf Club in Sydney on Sunday.

Scott Morrison and Josh Frydenberg directly lobbied Gladys Berejiklian last week to nominate for the federal seat of Warringah, with the Prime Minister personally intervening to hold a place for the former NSW Liberal premier as the Coalition faces a new threat from independents in moderate-held seats in Sydney.

Senior Liberal sources ­revealed that the Prime Minister last Wednesday sought to delay the close of preselection nominations following a phone call with Ms Berejiklian in which she agreed to consider running against incumbent independent Zali Steggall, who unseated Tony Abbott in 2019.

Mr Morrison on Monday sought to shore up fellow Sydney Liberal MP Dave Sharma, who faces a challenge in the tightly held seat of Wentworth from a well-financed independent supported by wealthy climate change activist Simon Holmes a Court.

The move by Mr Morrison to persuade Ms Berejiklian to run and win back a former blue-­ribbon Liberal seat comes on the back of concerns within the party that moderate MPs could be under threat from independents in other NSW seats.

Liberal moderate MPs Trent Zimmerman in North Sydney and Jason Falinski in Mackellar face challenges from other so-called Liberal independents bankrolled by Mr Holmes a Court’s Climate 200 political fundraising machine.

Mr Morrison, campaigning on day one of a pre-election rally before the end of the year, gave his strongest support for Ms Berejiklian to run while hitting the hustings in Sydney. “I think she’d be great. I think, as I’ve said before, the way that Gladys Berejiklian has been treated over these events, I think has been shameful,” he said. “I think this is a great opportunity, if Gladys wishes to run, but again, that’s up to her.”

The Treasurer has also personally lobbied Ms Berejiklian to run

Nominations for preselection were due to close last Friday but have been delayed until ­January 14.

Scott Morrison at Sydney’s Woollahra Public School on Monday to launch a recycling project. Picture: Jeremy Piper

It is understood Ms Berejiklian agreed to consider the offer.

Ms Berejiklian resigned as NSW premier in October after ICAC launched an investigation into whether she withheld knowledge of corrupt conduct by her former boyfriend, disgraced Liberal MP Daryl Maguire.

ICAC was also investigating whether Ms Berejiklian breached public trust by signing off on funding grants to entities located in Mr Maguire’s former electorate of Wagga Wagga without declaring their relationship.

ICAC is unlikely to release its findings before the Warringah preselection process closes. The once-safe Liberal seat is considered winnable for the Coalition if Ms Berejiklian were to run, ­despite the pending ICAC ruling.

A Liberal source close to the Warringah preselection said Mr Morrison’s insistence that Ms Bere­jiklian be given the chance to run was based on the need for the Coalition to pick up seats in NSW and Warringah was not considered an option without a “high-profile Liberal”.

“The goalposts need to be shifted and the only way to shift the goalposts is someone with ­instant cut through,” the source said. “The underlying premise is there is no guarantee the party will win the seat.”

Mr Abbott threw his support behind Ms Berejiklian running for the seat he held for 25 years.

“I’d like to see Gladys continue in public life,” the former prime minister said. “Of all the premiers, she showed by far the most commitment to personal freedom and smaller government, notwithstanding the pandemic, and we sure need more conviction in our politics.”

Senior Liberal sources said Ms Berejiklian had been warming to the prospect of running for Warringah in recent weeks, with barrister Jane Buncle to bow out of the preselection race if the former NSW premier contests.

The move to delay the Warringah preselection comes as the Prime Minister pushes for federal or state intervention in the preselection processes in NSW to install candidates ahead of the new year. While Mr Morrison is unlikely to get his way on cancelling preselections, The Australian understands a deal is being negotiated between the factions that would prevent sitting Liberal MPs Trent Zimmerman, Alex Hawke and Sussan Ley from being challenged.

The Liberals do not yet have candidates selected in a swag of winnable seats including Hughes, Gilmore, Bennelong, Dobell, Macquarie, Parramatta, Greenway and Eden-Monaro.

In Hughes – held by Clive Palmer’s United Australia Party leader Craig Kelly, who quit the Liberal Party – the moderate-backed Jenny Ware is vying for preselection against NSW MP Mel Gibbons from the Centre Right faction.

NSW Treasurer Matt Kean said the moderate faction had agreed to oppose preselection challenges against sitting MPs.

The moderate faction leader said he also supported uncontested preselections in certain seats, including Warringah, Bennelong and Dobell.

“We want to do everything to support the Prime Minister’s re-election,” Mr Kean said.

While NSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance has Mr Morrison’s backing to be the Liberal candidate for Gilmore, party sources say Shoalhaven Heads lawyer Paul Ell has the backing of the local branches.

Moderate candidates Gisele Kapterian and Craig Chung are vying to run for the Liberals in Bennelong, which is being ­vacated by tennis great John ­Alexander.

In Wentworth, Mr Sharma will face off against Allegra Spender – the daughter of fashion designer Carla Zampatti and former Liberal MP John Spender.

Ms Spender, who wants Australia to set a 50 per cent 2030 emissions target, is being backed by business leaders including Macquarie Group director Jillian Broadbent and former Australia Post chief executive Christine Holgate.

Mr Falinski is being challenged by northern beaches GP Sophie Scamps, while Mr Zimmerman is running against local businesswoman Kylea Tink.

In Melbourne, former ABC journalist Zoe Daniel will try to oust Liberal MP Tim Wilson from the seat of Goldstein, while a search is underway to find an ­independent to challenge Josh Frydenberg in Kooyong.

Senior Liberal Party sources downplayed the threat of “liberal independents” claiming that there was a lot of bluff about the threat of networked independents. One senior Liberal NSW MP said that while they were taking the threat seriously, the government’s adoption of a 2050 net zero target had helped neutralise an issue that could have played into the C200 campaign to replace Liberal MPs with liberal independents.