Shadow police minister Brad Battin is challenging John Pesutto for the leadership of the Victorian Liberals after reportedly securing enough support to oust the current leader. This comes amidst deep divisions within the party following the failed vote to readmit MP Moira Deeming.
Brad Battin has reportedly phoned John Pesutto to let the Victorian Liberal leader know there will be a leadership challenge at Friday's party room meeting. Shadow police minister Brad Battin is set to make a bid to wrest the leadership of the Victorian Liberals from John Pesutto at a party room showdown on Friday. The Australian reported that Mr Battin phoned Mr Pesutto on Thursday morning to let the Opposition Leader know that he would be challenging him for the party leadership.
Mr Battin reportedly has the support required to boot Mr Pesutto out of the job he has held for the past two years since the Coalition's third consecutive election defeat. A senior Liberal MP confirmed to The Australian that 'Brad has the numbers and will be challenging for the leadership, and he's telephoned John this morning to tell him this'. Liberal MPs are set to gather at parliament on Friday, a week after deep divisions within the party were put on show when a vote to readmit exiled MP Moira Deeming failed. The vote was split 14-14, with claims Mr Pesutto used his casting vote to block Ms Deeming's party room return in the wake of her court victory over the Opposition Leader. With his leadership looking terminal, Mr Pesutto then backflipped and on Sunday announced a party room meeting for January 15 so Ms Deeming could return to the fold. But five MPs, including Mr Battin, promptly called a party room meeting for this Friday to bring forward the vote on Ms Deeming's readmittance. John Pesutto is unlikely to emerge from Friday's party room meeting still as Opposition Leader. Mr Pesutto further angered some MPs within the party when he moved to break with tradition to allow members not at the party room meeting to vote remotel
Victorian Liberals Leadership Challenge John Pesutto Brad Battin Moira Deeming
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