Liberal Party MP Angus Taylor has finally quit the shadow front bench amid ongoing speculation of a leadership challenge, saying he can no longer support Opposition Leader Sussan Ley.
The right faction’s Taylor spoke of his reasons, saying he had worked hard to back Ley as leader before deciding it was time to pull the plug.
“Despite these efforts, the Liberal Party’s position under Sussan Ley’s leadership has continued to deteriorate, leaving it weaker than at any time since its formation in 1944,” he said on Feb. 11.
“This is a confronting reality, but one we cannot ignore.”
Taylor said it was the Liberal Party’s failures that had “allowed the Albanese government to avoid accountability for their mismanagement of our country.”
“This is devastating for Australians who, under Labor, have become poorer, more divided and more disillusioned,” he said.
The member for Hume said his party had “let Australians down” but he was determined to help restore it.
“I think the current situation is unsustainable, and it’s why I’ve made the very... difficult decision that I have tonight,” he said.
Taylor’s steps away from his role as shadow defence spokesperson meaning he can now launch the formal challenge for the leadership.
“I am absolutely committed to restoring confidence in the Liberal Party, to ensure that Australians regain confidence in the Liberal Party and steering the Liberal Party back to where it needs to be.”
Taylor has represented the New South Wales seat of Hume since 2013.
He served as energy and industry minister in the Morrison government and later held senior shadow cabinet roles in opposition.
Taylor is a former management consultant and Rhodes Scholar.
His resignation received swift criticism from Labor’s Defence Minister Richard Marles.
“It’s defence estimates today and the shadow minister for defence has quit,” he said. “These people don’t care about Australia, just themselves.”
Ley has reportedly committed to making a statement about Taylor’s resignation on the same day.
The opposition leader already fended off one challenge from Taylor last year, and has twice had to stitch the Coalition back together since the party’s heavy May election defeat.
Consistent polling has shown the party being gradually swamped by the conservative-leaning One Nation’s surging popularity on the back of voter concern about inflation, housing, and high volume immigration.
Labor has remained the most popular party, sitting at 32 percent in December and 30.5 percent in early February.
Western Australian MP Andrew Hastie briefly emerged as a potential challenger for Liberal leadership before announcing he would not pursue this due to lack of support.
