Live coverage: Nationals break away from the Coalition

The leaders of the Liberal and National parties appeared on ABC’s 730, and were immediately hit with a brutal question.

The Liberal Party and the Nationals are getting a D-I-V-O-R-C-E.

National Party leader David Littleproud has announced the party will dump the Coalition agreement in the wake of the disastrous election result.

He is blaming a fight over the four policy issues including the future of nuclear power and supermarket divestitures.

Leader of The Nationals, David Littleproud. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Leader of the Liberal Party, Sussan Ley. Picture: Hilary Wardhaugh / Getty Images

It is a historic move, one of the rare splits in opposition since the 1920s.

The last split was during the Joh Bjelke Petersen for Canberra push in the 1980s.

It means the Nationals will sit independently in the new Parliament, Mr Littleproud will cop a pay cut and Liberals will be reduced to just 28 seats in the 150-seat Parliament.

The Labor Party have accused the Liberals of trying to “put lipstick in a pig”, with a new graphic of Parliament outlining the world of woe that awaits when the Liberal MPs rock up to the first parliamentary sitting.

“It’s with great disappointment that I announce that we’re not going to form part of that Coalition,’’ Mr Littleproud said.

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Originally published as Live coverage: Nationals break away from the Coalition