Michael McCormack to lead Nationals after Barnaby Joyce

Michael McCormack is set to take over the Nationals leadership after a push to install David Littleproud failed.

Michael McCormack prepares to leave home ahead of this morning’s partyroom meeting. Picture: Sean Davey

Low-key NSW Nationals MP ­Michael McCormack is set to take over from Barnaby Joyce as Deputy Prime Minister today after a push by several colleagues failed to install Queensland rookie David Littleproud as the party’s new leader.

Mr Littleproud, the Queensland-based Agriculture Minister who entered parliament only in 2016, withdrew from the contest late last night in a bid to avoid a divisive partyroom ballot this morning.

“Now is not the time for internal contests,’’ he said in a statement. “Now is the time for all individuals to be team players. Now is the time to think about stability and the good of the party.”

Mr McCormack, the 53-year-old Veterans Affairs Minister, is now the only declared leadership candidate left standing after his NSW Nationals colleague David Gillespie also pulled out of the race yesterday when his pitch to establish a new ministry for reforming the federation failed to win support.

Supporters of Mr McCormack had argued there should be no other nominations for Nationals leader at today’s partyroom meeting, saying a contested ballot would have only deepened the trauma inflicted by the political crisis over Mr Joyce’s personal life.

But some Queensland MPs had been among those pushing Mr Littleproud’s credentials in a bid to avoid the party being led by MPs representing NSW and Victoria.

Some MPs also have serious doubts about Mr McCormack’s ability to cut through as a national leader. He was elected to parliament in 2010.

Mr McCormack spent most of yesterday at his home in Wagga Wagga, phoning fellow Nationals MPs to shore up support ahead of today’s partyroom meeting at 8am where Mr Joyce will formally ­resign.

David Littleproud arrives in Canberra last night. Picture: Ray Strange

His most notable career misstep remains the homophobic column he penned as a local newspaper editor in 1993, when he described gay relationships as “sordid”, comments he has since apologised for.

The leadership transition and election of a new deputy prime minister represents a critical ­moment for the government, which is keen to move past the political crisis triggered by Mr Joyce’s affair with former staffer Vikki Campion, with several ­Nationals MPs expressing concern that Mr Joyce will use his freedom on the backbench to criticise government policy.

Labor Senate leader Penny Wong will also use today’s Senate estimates process to question officials in the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet about the approval of staffing arrangements for Ms Campion, who was moved into the office of Resources Minister Matt Canavan and the then Nationals chief whip Damian Drum after she began her affair with Mr Joyce.

One Nationals insider told The Australian last night that if Mr Littleproud had chosen to contest the leadership “it’d be pretty tight”.

It was understood Mr Littleproud had the committed support of several MPs, many of whom are seen as “Barnaby Joyce loyalists”.

“I am truly humbled by the significant support I have received from colleagues and others over the past few days,’’ Mr Littleproud said in his statement. “I will not be contesting the leadership. It is time for the Nationals to get behind ­Michael McCormack as Leader and focus on delivering for ­regional Australia together.”

Earlier yesterday, Queensland Nationals MP Keith Pitt — who was dumped from the frontbench by Mr Joyce in December’s reshuffle — told The Australian the “best outcome is for a single candidate to stand”, and publicly backed Mr McCormack as the right choice.

NSW MP Mark Coulton also threw his support behind Mr McCormack, telling The Australian he was “eminently qualified, experienced and capable”.

Victorian MP Andrew Broad — who publicly called for Mr Joyce to resign last week — said Mr McCormack was a “very competent man” with “good values”. “Michael McCormack will encourage and draw the best out of the team, and it is a champion team that wins a grand final,” Mr Broad told The Australian.

“Not just a champion player, and I think Michael’s quite ­capable of getting the team ­focused to ensure rural and regional Australia gets the best result at the next election.”

Mr Joyce resigned on Friday in the wake of ­allegations of sexual harassment from former West Australian Rural Woman of the Year Catherine Marriott.

Mr Littleproud was elevated to cabinet by Mr Joyce in December’s frontbench reshuffle, despite having been elected to the parliament in 2016 with some of his colleagues yesterday deriding his ambitions given his brief 18-month stint in federal parliament.

“He’s been around two seconds,” said one Nationals MP.

“You need humility and experience and he needs to calm down a little bit.”

Nationals deputy leader Bridget McKenzie told the ABC’s Insiders program she hoped the leadership transition was done with minimum disruption, but noted that any alterations to the top secret Coalition agreement would be made at the discretion of the new leader.

“I think it’s important we have a really successful and seamless transition tomorrow,’’ she said.

“ That the ­Coalition agreement negotiated post last election remains in place; that our ministerial portfolio positions stay in place.”

Senator McKenzie argued the Nationals would be able to work effectively with the Liberals despite the exchange of public hostilities between Mr Joyce and Mr Turnbull and the suggestion from Queensland Nationals MP George Christensen that the Nationals should formally sever its coalition with the Liberal Party.

In a statement posted to social media platforms over the weekend, Mr Christensen said he wanted the Nationals Party to have a “renewed purpose and vision” that worked in coalition with “regional Australia rather than wedded to a Liberal Party lurching further away from the values we still hold.”

“If that means ending the ­coalition with the Liberal Party and instead supporting their Liberal government, with conditions attached, then we owe it to those we represent to consider our ­options,” he said.