The man who initially beat Scott Morrison in a ballot to contest Cook for the Liberal party 15 years ago has doubled down on his position that the now-prime minister used claims about his Lebanese heritage to undermine him in 2007.
Michael Towke on Sunday in the Nine newspapers publicly backed a 2016 account that preselectors informed him that Morrison had told them in 2007 “a candidate of Lebanese heritage could not hold the seat of Cook, especially after the Cronulla riots” and there was a “strong rumour” that Towke was a Muslim.
