The Liberals’ preferred candidate to contest the federal seat of Warringah, barrister Jane Buncle, has withdrawn her nomination, leaving a right-aligned candidate described by one senior Liberal as “Tony Abbott 2.0” to attempt to wrest back the Sydney seat from independent Zali Steggall.
Buncle, who had been considered a frontrunner and had the support of the moderate faction, wrote to the New South Wales Liberal director Chris Stone to withdraw on Monday after the division again failed to resolve its impasse on preselections.
