Ley’s Coalition deal may have shifted MPs toward Angus Taylor

Sussan Ley’s deal to reunite with the Nationals has damaged her credibility and potentially shifted some MPs into her leadership rival Angus Taylor’s corner, colleagues say. As Ley told a press conference the majority of colleagues believed the was “stronger together”, one Liberal MP privately feared the reunion would ultimately lead to the “destruction of the Liberal party”.

“It is in essence an abandonment of all Liberals that live in our cities. Why would they vote for a party that is in coalition with the Nationals, when the Nationals’ only policy objective is to be more rightwing than One Nation?” the MP said. The Liberal and Nationals leaders announced the deal to reunite the parties on Sunday afternoon, 17 days after David Littleproud blew up the Coalition and declared the political alliance “untenable” under Ley in a rift over Labor’s hate speech laws.

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