Daniel Hurst, political correspondent Friday 6 February 2015

Western Australian MP Luke Simpkins has announced he will move a motion for a spill against the prime minister

Tony Abbott will face a spill motion after it was proposed by Luke Simpkins. Photograph: Stefan Postles/Getty

The federal Liberal backbencher Luke Simpkins has submitted a motion to spill the party’s leadership positions, beginning the process to force a vote on Tony Abbott’s prime ministership next week.

Abbott’s supporters had been calling for the prime minister to be given more time to turn around the government’s flagging fortunes, but Simpkins announced on Friday he had begun the formal process to declare the leadership positions open.

The WA-based backbencher told his colleagues he had submitted to the chief government whip a motion to spill the positions, and this should be considered in a secret ballot at the party room meeting next week. It was seconded by WA backbencher Don Randall.

Simpkins said he did not have frontbench ambitions but felt the need to bring the issue to a head “and test the support of the leadership in the party room”.

The chief government whip, Philip Ruddock, said the prime minister had agreed to list the motion for discussion at the Liberal party meeting on Tuesday.

Malcolm Turnbull and Julie Bishop, who are considered potential leadership alternatives, have previously said they supported Abbott.

Bishop told the media earlier on Friday that she had no advice for colleagues who were considering bringing on a leadership spill, saying they would “take whatever action they see fit”.

In the email to Liberal MPs and senators, Simpkins said he had been inundated with emails and visits to his electorate office in the past two weeks questioning the government’s direction.

He said Abbott’s decision to grant Prince Philip a knighthood on Australia Day “was for many the final proof of a disconnection with the people”.

“These contacts have come from many people that I personally know and are firm supporters – in some cases they are booth workers as well,” Simpkins said.

“The last time this outpouring of concern happened was when we were being led to support the Rudd government’s [emissions trading scheme] and faced with this erosion of our base support we acted.”

Simpkins asked colleagues to either endorse Abbott or seek a new direction, saying he “wanted to make sure that the economic vandals do not get back into power and our children and grandchildren are not left to pay Labor’s bill”.

The Liberal MP Andrew Nikolic replied to the email, and copied it to colleagues, saying Simpkins’s actions were “disappointing and divisive”.

“In my view you are repeating the ill-disciplined and self-interested behaviours that the Australian people explicitly rejected in 2013,” Nikolic said.

“You do not have my support for this. I will be arguing strongly against your motion and in support of what I believe is a clear majority of colleagues and constituents who prefer stability and unity of purpose.”

Earlier on Friday, Abbott visited a timber company in Melbourne and said he expected a “strong and constructive party room meeting next Tuesday”.

Abbott said he had worked with Bishop for a long time and had “a very good team”.

“We are friends, we trust each other, we work together, we’ve done it for five years and that’s what I’m looking forward to doing for five years at least to come,” he said.

Abbott had declined to say whether he had sought an assurance from Turnbull that he would not challenge for the leadership.

Turnbull said on Thursday that Abbott had “had utter loyalty and consistency from his frontbench” and there was “no tension between Tony and any of his senior colleagues”.

“He is not being undermined by anyone, any of his senior colleagues whatsoever. It’s a very very united team,” the communications minister and former Liberal leader said.

After attending a community forum on New South Wales central coast, Turnbull appeared to address concerns among conservative Liberals and the Nationals that he might seek to re-introduce an emissions trading scheme (ETS) if he resumed the leadership.

Turnbull, who was previously a strong supporter of an ETS and outspoken critic of Abbott’s direct-action alternative, said the 2013 election had served as a referendum on the issue.

“In the event of there being a new global agreement we’ll review the existing [climate] policy,” he said. “But the idea we would or should suddenly reinstate something we have abolished is ridiculous.”

On Friday morning, Bishop defended the leader of the house, Christopher Pyne, over his earlier comments that he did not know if there would be a spill motion or if Abbott had the numbers.

“Well, Christopher with the greatest respect doesn’t have a crystal ball, and we cannot say what one of the 102 members of the Liberal party will seek to do,” she said.

“Now, I can’t read people’s minds, but what I can say is I am not campaigning for the job of prime minister, I’m not contacting the backbench seeking their support, and I’m not counting numbers. I’m getting on with the job of being the foreign minister and deputy leader.”

On Friday the Liberal MP Sharman Stone became the latest backbencher to publicly call for the leadership issue to be resolved next week, saying there would be “a lot of conversations” over the weekend about a potential spill motion.

Stone, who represents Murray in Victoria and had a public dispute with the cabinet last year over support for SPC Ardmona, said the party needed to either support Abbott or unite behind a new leader so it could “get back to the business of governing this country”.

This was despite pleas from Abbott’s backers for him to be given more time.

On Thursday the trade minister, Andrew Robb, acknowledged that backbenchers had raised “legitimate” concerns about the government’s tendency to surprise voters, but told Sky News: “The fact is that if something happened on Tuesday which led to a spill we would be seen as a bunch of amateurs.”

Simpkins’s email

Dear Colleagues,

In the last two weeks I have been inundated with emails and walk ins to my Electorate Office all questioning the direction the Government is being led in. The Knighthood issue was for many the final proof of a disconnection with the people.

These contacts have come from many people that I personally know and are firm supporters - in some cases they are booth workers as well. The last time this outpouring of concern happened was when we were being led to support the Rudd Government’s ETS and faced with this erosion of our base support we acted.

I think that we must bring this to a head, and test the support of the leadership in the party room.

I have therefore submitted to the Chief Government Whip a motion to spill the leadership positions of the Federal Parliamentary Liberal Party. The spill motion should be considered via a secret ballot as the first item of business in our Party Room meeting. The motion was seconded by Don Randall who shares the same views as myself.

I look forward to your support in this matter. It gives you all an opportunity to either endorse the Prime Minister or to seek a new direction.

As I have said in the past, I have no front bench ambitions. I just want to make sure that the economic vandals do not get back into power and our children and grandchildren are not left to pay Labor’s bill. I do this because I believe it is in the best interests of the people of our country.

Yours sincerely,

Luke

Liberal MP Luke Simpkins announces spill motion against Tony Abbott | Australia news | The Guardian