Liberal MP Phillip Thompson has resigned from the opposition frontbench bringing on a leadership spill after delivering a letter in Parliament House this morning to Sussan Ley.
Mr Thompson, who served as the Shadow Minister for Defence and NDIS, submitted the letter with NSW Senator Jess Collins shortly after Angus Taylor resigned from the shadow cabinet and confirmed he would contest the leadership.
The Herbert MP say’s the Australian people have sent him a clear message, with feedback from his Townsville electorate and from people across the country convincing him change was needed.
He also told Newscorp he had lost confidence in Ms Ley’s ability to lead the party to the next election. Thompson said he respected Ms Ley personally but believed the party had failed to connect with voters during her nine months as leader. He urged the Liberals to stop internal disputes and refocus on serving Australians, saying the party needed a credible Opposition to be a credible government.
The letter calls for a vote to vacate both the leader and deputy leader positions. With multiple resignations and a formal challenge now in motion, the Liberal Party faces a decisive test of its leadership and direction.
