Ley writes to Littleproud to mend ties, but Littleproud ‘focused on spill’

Opposition Leader Sussan Ley has sent a last-ditch message to David Littleproud to mend the Coalition, but her offer for a meeting has been rejected as the Nationals leader faces a spill motion.

Ley wrote to her Liberal colleagues about 4.30pm on Wednesday saying she had written to Littleproud “proposing that we meet along with other senior party officials, without any preconditions and as a priority, ahead of parliament’s return” next week.

“I reminded him that as the leaders of the Liberal and National parties, we are the stewards of two great movements that exist to serve the Australian people and that maintaining a strong and functioning relationship between our two parties is in the national interest — whether in formal Coalition or not,” she said.

“David’s team have just advised mine that his focus is the spill motion he now faces and he is therefore unavailable to meet until after that spill is considered.”

In remarks likely to provoke the Nationals leader, she went on to say: “We will talk to whoever the Nationals elect as their leader”.

Littleproud will face a spill motion on Monday after frustrated backbencher Colin Boyce declared he would challenge for the leadership of the party.

A week after Littleproud forced a split of the Coalition, Boyce said Littleproud had rightly received criticism for his actions last week.

Boyce, a climate change denier who recently doused speculation he would join One Nation, does not have significant support within the Nationals to become leader, but said his colleagues deserved the chance to debate Littleproud’s leadership.

“The National party is committing political suicide by removing itself from the Coalition,” Boyce told Sky News.

The Nationals leader defended his position after Boyce’s threat, saying he respected the right to voice different opinions.

“I stand by my record … and what our party room has achieved,” he said. “The Nationals held all of its House of Representatives seats at the last election.”

“The Nationals also fought to keep important policies, including the Regional Australia Future Fund, tougher action on supermarkets with divestiture powers, Universal Service Obligation reform to ensure better mobile phone coverage in regional areas, and dumping net zero while keeping all energy options on the table, including nuclear.”

Boyce said he planned to move the spill motion next week in the Nationals’ party room. Littleproud fended off a challenge from Senator Matt Canavan, who has much wider support than Boyce, after the last election.

Some Nationals are dissatisfied with Littleproud’s handling of the split, but his leadership is not yet under serious threat because none of the credible alternative leaders – being Canavan, Bridget McKenzie, Michael McCormack and Darren Chester – are pushing for change.

Canavan almost immediately poured cold water on the leadership push from Boyce, and suggested the spill motion would fail.

“It was news to me,” Canavan told this masthead of Boyce’s announcement. “I’m proud of the role all the Nationals played, including David [Littleproud].

“I see no reason to change our team now.”

If Chester, McCormack or another credible challenged used Boyce’s challenge to throw their hat into the ring, Littleproud could be in trouble.

Boyce said he would put forward a motion in the Nationals party room meeting on Monday to create a vote on Littleproud’s leadership. But before Boyce or any other candidate could put their hand up, the initial spill motion would need to receive majority support, a prospect that is viewed as highly unlikely.

“I will be moving a spill motion on Monday afternoon in the National party room to give my colleagues an option. Because the reality is, if they follow the course they’re on now, they are going over a political cliff,” Boyce, a frequent critic of Littleproud over the years, said.

Asked if this meant he was putting his hand up for the leadership, he said: “That’s obviously what will happen”.

“[Littleproud] copped a pasting over the weekend. Things are shifting, the wider [public] are laying the blame more at his feet now.

“The National party now faces a right flank onslaught from One Nation. If they go it alone for the next election, they won’t have any resources; they won’t have any travel entitlements; money will be extremely difficult to raise. They will not have all of those devoted staff that they’ve had for years, and it will be extremely difficult.”

Boyce, 63, has been on the outer in the Nationals for years. The member for Flynn, which takes in Gladstone and Biloela, is a former boilermaker and was a close supporter of Barnaby Joyce before the former deputy prime minister defected to One Nation.

For weeks, Boyce’s colleagues have suspected Boyce would follow Joyce to Pauline Hanson’s anti-immigration party. Boyce has remained in the Nationals, but spoke highly One Nation on Sky News on Wednesday.

Boyce did not attend any of the Nationals meetings last week in Canberra.

Boyce said he had not been calling colleagues for support, meaning the spill would largely be a symbolic show of no confidence in Littleproud but not one that was likely to end his time as leader.