Liberal leader Sussan Ley has announced her resignation from politics after losing the leadership contest to Angus Taylor in a special party room meeting this morning.
Taylor defeated Ley by 34-17 after weeks of tumult within the broader Coalition. The contest also resulted in Deputy Liberal leader Ted O’Brien being replaced by Jane Hume.
Ley’s resignation means a by-election will be set up for her rural New South Wales seat of Farrer.
“I will be tendering my resignation to the speaker,” Ley told the media shortly after being deposed.
“I’m not sure what comes next. I look forward to stepping away completely and comprehensively from public life, to spend time with my family.”
Ley had just nine months in the job, stepping into the leadership position after former Liberal party leader Peter Dutton led his party to its worst election defeat in 70 years.
As for Taylor, he said it was his “immense honour to be elected as leader of the Liberal Party”, announcing the focus would now be on challenging Labor.
Taylor declared his election as Liberal leader the “biggest honour” of his life in a press conference and said he is “absolutely determined to fight for our nation”.
“[Ley’s] work ethic has been absolutely relentless, and her commitment to the Liberal Party, and this has extended over a long period of time as governments and, of course, as opposition leader over the last eight months,”
Ley said there’s “genuinely no hard feelings” between herself and Taylor after the defeat. “I wish Angus Taylor well. I know he has experience, energy and drive. I know the whole team will have what it takes to fight this awful Labor government. I will be cheering them on,” she said.
In a separate announcement, O’Brien said: “We’ve seen the party make a big decision today that we need renewed, refreshed leadership, and it’s under that leadership that we’re looking forward to taking on those challenges moving ahead.”
Ley’s exit from politics comes just days after she struck a deal with the Nationals to reunite the Coalition following a messy split over the government’s hate speech laws.
Shortly after quitting, Ley told the media it was up to others to judge her short stint as the face of the Liberal Party.
“While I’m sure plenty of people will have plenty to say, I’ve never sought to influence what other people think of me,” she said.
Why is everyone commenting ‘Fantastic. Great move. Well done Angus’?
Taylor’s promotion to Liberal leader almost instantly spawned a bunch of comments all saying the same thing: “Fantastic. Great move. Well done Angus.”
If you recall, it’s the very same comment that made Taylor the subject of countless memes during the 2019 federal election. Taylor, then the energy minister, wrote the message under his own social media post about adding 1000 extra carparks in his electorate.
The comment was attributed directly to Taylor’s own Facebook profile, but was quickly deleted and put down to a “staffing error”.
Despite being seven years old, the self-congratulatory gaffe is still top of mind for scores of social media users who mockingly reiterated his comment under posts announcing Taylor’s new position.
Taylor has not yet addressed the media regarding his new position, but it’s unlikely he’ll ever live down the comment that made him and unwitting viral sensation all those years ago.
Lead images: Getty Images and 9News
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