‘Only gets worse from here’: court hears Victorian Liberal leader’s texts about Moira Deeming before he ‘tarred her with the Nazi brush’

Victorian Liberal party leader John Pesutto, left, and state MP Moira Deeming, who is suing him for defamation. Composite: AAP Image/Con Chronis

Victoria’s opposition leader, John Pesutto, considered expelling MP Moira Deeming from the Liberal party hours after she addressed a rally gatecrashed by neo-Nazis, before he “tarred” her with the “Nazi brush”, the federal court has heard.

The high-stakes defamation battle brought against Pesutto by the ousted Liberal MP began in the federal court on Monday, with Deeming expected to begin giving evidence as early as Tuesday.