Nationals MP Colin Boyce to move spill motion against David Littleproud

The Nationals MP Colin Boyce will challenge David Littleproud for the party leadership, saying he will move a motion to spill the leadership at a party room meeting on Monday and that the party was “committing political suicide” by ending the Coalition. Boyce, the Flynn MP, told Sky News on Tuesday he would “give my colleagues an option” because, he said, “if they follow the course they’re on now, we are going over the political cliff.” Nationals MPs immediately dismissed Boyce’s prospects and were said to be confident Littleproud retained the support of most colleagues despite internal unrest over his role in a second Coalition blow-up in eight months.

The split followed Sussan Ley’s decision to accept the resignations of three senators who crossed the floor to oppose Labor’s hate speech laws, and the Nationals’ decision to quit Ley’s frontbench en masse at a party room meeting last Wednesday. Boyce did not attend that meeting or others during what sources described as a chaotic week in Canberra.

There is speculation Boyce might defect to One Nation; he denied that and said he had seen a “huge surge” for the party in his central Queensland seat but that he remained a member of the LNP. Former leader Michael McCormack told Guardian Australia he believed Littleproud was “fairly safe,” while an anonymous Nationals MP said Boyce did not have the party room’s support.

Guardian Australia understands Matt Canavan was not expected to stand on Monday.