With Scott Morrison on the nose in parts of the country, Liberal MPs may want ‘permission to distance’

Scott Morrison understands he’s a drag on the Liberal brand in some parts of the country. Photograph: Dean Lewins/AAP

We are so close to a federal election now that the distinction between the faux campaign and the real one is basically nonexistent.

But as the real contest creeps closer to being officially called, there’s a thorny problem for the Liberal campaign to navigate – how do you win an election when, for some voters, Scott Morrison is the problem?