The Liberal Party’s moderate faction threatened resignations, defections and a possible split from the Nationals if the party dropped net zero, but most MPs appear to have fallen in line behind Opposition Leader Sussan Ley as the party abandoned the policy on Thursday.

Despite successive elections that have resulted in the faction’s parliamentary base being hollowed out by teal independents in capital cities, members have backed away from condemning the new Liberal climate policy, which signals more coal and gas, and frames net zero only as an unintentional but “welcome outcome”.

NSW senator Andrew Bragg, who was one of the most vocal crusaders for keeping the target within the faction, last weekend said he would resign from the frontbench if the party walked away from net zero and the Paris Agreement. However, he told colleagues after the announcement that he would not resign, as the Liberal Party had remained committed to the Paris Agreement, and because there was no outright rejection of net zero.

MP Melissa Price was one of the most forceful proponents of net zero during Wednesday’s party room meeting, according to sources in the room. Price told her colleagues they would lose their seats and the party would become a laughing stock if it dropped net zero. Price was contacted for comment following the policy’s announcement.

NSW senator Maria Kovacic, who had campaigned for the party to maintain net zero as a policy, had earlier this week left the door open to resigning if the dispute did not go her way. “I support our Westminster system of government, and that requires members of the frontbench to support all policies of their party,” Kovacic said on Monday.

Following the policy announcement, Kovacic declined to comment on her political future.

Victorian MP Tim Wilson, who won the seat of Goldstein back from independent Zoe Daniel at the May election, said he did not support the party’s decision, indicating he may still be considering resigning his frontbench position.

South Australian senator Anne Ruston did not join her colleagues in issuing resignation threats over net zero before this week’s meetings, but spoke against dumping the target on Wednesday.

At a press conference held after the policy was formally abandoned, Ruston said: “Reality tells us that we were always going to have to come to a compromise.”

Ruston will join Liberal right-wingers Jonno Duniam and opposition energy and emissions reduction spokesman Dan Tehan in negotiating a Coalition stance with the Nationals before a joint party meeting on Sunday.

At doorstop interviews on both Wednesday and Thursday, NSW senator Dave Sharma rebuffed questions on the party’s ability to win back seats held by independents in Melbourne, Sydney and Perth, arguing that the party was developing a policy for all Australians.

Sharma lost his seat of Wentworth at the 2022 election to independent challenger Allegra Spender, who campaigned on climate action. He is now in the Senate, after replacing Marise Payne in 2023.

Earlier in the month, Sharma had suggested the Nationals and Liberals might need to split if the parties couldn’t come to an agreement.

“The Nationals have set their policy. It is now up to the Liberals to set our policy … if the two can’t be reconciled, then we need to consider the future of the Coalition,” Sharma said. He did not respond to a request for comment on Thursday.

Prior to Wednesday’s party room meeting, frontbencher Julian Leeser said: “I’ve been very clear on my support for maintaining net zero targets, but also to have targets relating to reducing prices and increasing reliability.” He spoke in favour of retaining net zero during the meeting.

Asked at the time if Ley would maintain his support if she dumped net zero, Leeser said: “Sussan Ley has my support. She’s doing a very good job in a very difficult set of circumstances. There’s no tougher job than being opposition leader.” Leeser did not respond when contacted for comment on Thursday.

Tasmanian senator Richard Colbeck entered Wednesday’s party room meeting alongside Ley, carrying a report from Liberal-aligned think tank Blueprint Institute titled “winning back the Coalition’s missing middle”, which featured polling from ex-Liberal voters that found 54 per cent wanted the opposition to stick to ambitious climate targets.

Earlier on Wednesday, he had told journalists in Canberra that he’d had “a good look at all of the data” and was hoping the party would provide a “serious” proposition to voters. He left the meeting alone and in silence. He did not comment on Thursday.

Immigration spokesman Paul Scarr, environment spokeswoman Angie Bell and backbencher Mary Aldred spoke in favour of net zero at Wednesday’s party room meeting, but did not comment on Thursday. Indigenous Australians spokeswoman Kerrynne Liddle’s position within the room was unclear.

Victorian senator Jane Hume spoke in favour of net zero during Wednesday’s party room, but told this masthead’s Inside Politics podcast last week that debate over the words net zero was “crazy” and that both Coalition partners agreed on almost everything.

Only one moderate, Senator James McGrath, spoke out against net zero during Wednesday’s party room meeting or throughout the last week.

As McGrath entered Parliament House on Wednesday, he told journalists the party wanted “to make sure we protect Australian jobs, protect Australian businesses, but more importantly, make sure that electricity is affordable and reliable”.

“We’ll get a settlement today, and we can go on and put the focus on Labor,” the moderate Liberal said. “They’re pretty rubbish, like a pretty rubbish government.”

While not part of the moderate faction, two of Ley’s closest lieutenants, manager of opposition business Alex Hawke and communications spokesperson Melissa McIntosh, both spoke against net zero at Wednesday’s meeting.

Senator Andrew McLachlan, a member of the party’s right wing, spoke in favour of net zero, and told this masthead he would “continue to advocate for the Scott Morrison Liberal targets of achieving net zero by 2050”.

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