NSW Liberal executive motion backing Scott Morrison and saving Craig Kelly will pass later today

A NSW Liberal motion backing Scott Morrison and saving Craig Kelly has passed despite a push against it by Malcolm Turnbull.

Then PM Malcolm Turnbull with then Treasurer Scott Morrison before his ousting. Picture: Kym Smith

A NSW Liberal state executive motion backing Scott Morrison in his push to have Craig Kelly’s candidacy for Hughes endorsed — against former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s wishes — has passed.

The motion saving Mr Kelly and supporting Mr Morrison passed early this afternoon after four moderates who were planning to vote against it agreed to abstain from voting this morning.

Moderates sources have told The Australian that Chris Rath, Sally Betts, Wayne Brown and Harry Stutchbury all agreed not to vote in the fax ballot. They had not agreed to support the ballot.

One of those from state executive said the decision had come after “pressure from the PM and the moderate leadership”.

“The pressure’s too great and the stakes too high,’’ said the source. “I think they want it (the ballot) done before Question Time.”

The party needs 90 per cent of the 29-member state executive to carry the vote and if the numbers are locked in, ballots will be faxed out.

The Australian revealed this morning that Mr Turnbull telephoned NSW Minister Matt Kean, who is on the State Executive last night, and argued to him that the moderates should oppose the proposal, which would cause Mr Kelly to the crossbench and force Mr Morrison to an early election.

Mr Turnbull urged senior Liberal Party figures to defy Mr Morrison by voting against the plan to prevent Mr Kelly losing preselection, saying the Prime Minister just wanted to “keep his arse” in his prime ministerial car as long as possible.

The brazen power play was calculated to trigger an early federal election, with Mr Turnbull claiming such a move would help the Berejiklian government avoid facing an anti-Coalition backlash and losing office in March.

MORE: Follow the latest developments in our PoliticsNow blog

The ousted prime minister told Mr Kean that if Mr Kelly moved to the crossbench it would “force Morrison to an early election and that will save the Berejiklian government”.

“We should force Scott to an early election because all he’s about is keeping his arse on C1”, Mr Turnbull said, referring to the prime minister’s commonwealth car.

Mr Turnbull told Mr Kean that he and Mr Morrison in government had agreed to go to an election on March 2 — three weeks before the NSW government election — but the Prime Minister was now reneging.

Malcolm Turnbull. Picture: John Feder

Mr Turnbull’s extraordinary intervention continued on morning radio with the former PM telling Radio National’s Fran Kelly: “My view is that it would be manifestly in the best interests and prospects of the Morrison Government to go to the polls as soon as it can after the summer break’’.

“There’s a lot of concern in NSW Liberal circles that a very good, outstanding government led by Gladys Berejiklian is going to have its prospects of success diminished because of the brand damage to the Liberal Party caused by the leadership change in August.”

MORE: Call early election and save Liberals in NSW, Turnbull urges

Mr Turnbull told Mr Kean that the moderates on the executive should not support Mr Kelly as a “matter of principle” as Mr Kelly was the “most destructive member of the government”, adding that there was “no bigger climate change denier than Craig Kelly, apart from Tony Abbott”.

Mr Kelly, the member for ­Hughes, led the backbench ­revolt against Mr Turnbull’s ­national energy guarantee, in a rearguard action that forced the policy to be dumped, precipitating the then prime minister’s downfall.

But Mr Kean said he was going to resist Mr Turnbull’s call and vote on principle to save the federal government.

The Australian was told that, at the urging of Mr Morrison, a deal was hatched over the weekend between the three major factions — the moderates, the centre-right and the right — to save Mr Kelly from a likely preselection defeat. The Prime Minister is understood to have asked the state executive to re-endorse all sitting MPs, which would include Mr Kelly, Jason Falinksi, John Alexander and Lucy Wicks.

The moderates, who hold seven spots on the 23-member executive team, were set to ­endorse the preselection cancellation but backflipped last night after urgings from Mr Turnbull and widespread anger within the faction. Sydney powerbroker Trent Zimmerman was among those who backflipped.

Following inquiries from The Australian last night, Mr Turnbull went public to urge moderate-faction Liberals on the party’s state executive to resist cancelling executive NSW preselections.

The ballot on the preselection cancellation was scheduled to be held last night but it was unclear whether it went ahead.

Today I learned there was a move to persuade the State Executive to re-endorse Craig Kelly as Liberal candidate for Hughes in order to avoid a preselection - in other words to deny Liberal Party members in Hughes the opportunity to have their say.

— Malcolm Turnbull (@TurnbullMalcolm) December 2, 2018

Party lawyers were yesterday analysing the party’s constitution to ascertain whether 90 per cent or 50 per cent of the executive needed to support cancelling preselections for sitting MPs.

Mr Turnbull said Liberal members in the Sydney seat of Hughes should have their say on their local representative.

“Today I learned there was a move to persuade the State Executive to re-endorse Craig Kelly as Liberal candidate for Hughes in order to avoid a preselection — in other words, to deny Liberal Party members in Hughes the opportunity to have their say,” Mr Turnbull tweeted.

“Shortly after, my media adviser was contacted by The Australian and the Daily Telegraph about these discussions, so rather than wait for their version of events to be published tomorrow, I can state that I am strongly of the view that the normal democratic process should proceed. It has been put to me that Mr Kelly has threatened to go to the crossbench and ‘bring down the government’.

Shortly after, my media adviser was contacted by The Australian and the Daily Telegraph about these discussions, so rather than wait for their version of events to be published tomorrow, I can state that I am strongly of the view that the normal democratic process should proceed.

— Malcolm Turnbull (@TurnbullMalcolm) December 2, 2018

“If indeed he has made that threat, it is not one that should result in a capitulation. Indeed it would be the worst and weakest response to such a threat.”

Mr Turnbull intervened to save Mr Kelly’s preselection in 2016. The Australian understands Waverley Mayor and Wentworth Federal Electorate Conference president Sally Betts also spoke to Mr Turnbull about the proposed deal and agreed not to support it.

State executive members Chris Rath, Wayne Brown and Harry Stutchbury are also understood not to be supporting the proposal. One moderates source claimed Mr Morrison would likely now not bring the ballot on. “Craig Kelly brought down a PM — now it’s his turn,” one moderates powerbroker said.

Liberal member for Hughes Craig Kelly.

It is understood that in his conversation with Mr Kean, Mr Turnbull said that in order to prevent NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian from losing government, the federal election should be held before the NSW poll. Weekend polls showed support for the Berejiklian government has collapsed since Mr Turnbull lost the leadership, igniting fears that if the state election is held first, the NSW government will face the wrath of voters who are angry about the federal Liberal Party’s dysfunction.

Mr Kelly last week added to the chaos of Mr Morrison’s government by leaving open the option of moving to the crossbench if he lost his preselection.

The Australian spoke to moderates who were angry at the faction’s initial support of the deal, arguing Mr Kelly’s threats to leave the party and sit on the crossbench had been rewarded. They also noted the “hypocrisy” of conservatives, such as Mr Abbott and Mr Kelly, who demanded party democracy only when it suited them. Liberal senator Jim Molan yesterday demanded Mr Morrison also save him from an unwinnable spot on the Coalition’s Senate ticket.