NSW Liberals deny party in ‘stuff-up spiral’ after Rob Stokes declines role cleaning up state branch

The New South Wales opposition leader, Mark Speakman, says a formal invitation was not put to Rob Stokes to serve on the temporary committee of three to run the troubled NSW Liberal division. Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAP

The New South Wales opposition leader, Mark Speakman, has insisted his party was not in the midst of a “stuff-up spiral” after the Liberal federal executive’s attempt to intervene and clean up the state branch caused yet more confusion.

The denial came after it was revealed no one told the former planning minister Rob Stokes he would be named in a three-person committee the federal team wanted to run the state division for almost a year.