A contest for the leadership of the Australian Liberal Party is heating up between Sussan Ley and Angus Taylor. Senator Claire Chandler has publicly endorsed Angus Taylor, highlighting his experience as shadow treasurer and energy minister. Taylor plans to leverage his business background to rebuild the party and has secured the support of Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price as his potential deputy.
Anonymous sources within the Liberal Party express concerns about Ley's leadership potential, drawing parallels to the short-lived premiership of Liz Truss in the UK. They fear a similar outcome if Ley were to assume leadership.
Meanwhile, within the Nationals, Senator Matt Canavan is challenging David Littleproud for the leadership. Littleproud's failure to prevent Senator Price's move to the Liberal Party has reportedly weakened his position.
The videos were released as Liberal senator Claire Chandler declared support for Taylor, one of the first MPs to publicly back a candidate in the leadership race.
“Angus has experience being shadow treasurer, and he’s a former energy minister. It’s a no-brainer,” Chandler told this masthead.
Taylor said on Friday that he would draw on his background in business to rebuild the party, and endorsed conservative senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price to move from the Country Liberal Party to the Liberal Party.
Price, the popular but controversial Indigenous senator, had declared on Thursday she would shift to the Liberal Party and is expected to run as Taylor’s deputy.
At least three Liberal sources, who wished to remain anonymous in order to speak freely, confirmed the race between Ley and Taylor would be tight.
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One raised concerns about the viability of Ley as leader, referencing the failed tenure of former British prime minister Liz Truss.
“If Sussan gets it, it’ll be our Liz Truss moment,” they said.
Truss is the shortest-serving British prime minister in history, serving only 49 days in 2022 before having to step down after releasing a low-tax, high-growth economic policy that spooked the markets, caused the pound to plummet and increased cost-of-living pain.
Separately, Nationals senator Matt Canavan announced on Friday that he would be running to take over the leadership from David Littleproud.
Littleproud’s failure to stop Price’s defection had weakened him, Nationals MPs argued privately, as Canavan pitched himself to lead on ending climate commitments.
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