Angus Taylor Defeats Sussan Ley In Liberal Leadership Spill

Angus Taylor has become the leader of the federal Liberal party after a partyroom meeting in Canberra this morning.

He replaces Sussan Ley, only nine months after she made history as the first woman in the role, with Taylor winning 34 votes to Ley’s 17.

Jane Hume was voted as deputy leader, with outgoing deputy Ted O’Brien saying he was sure Hume would “do a superb job”.

Following the meeting Ley announced she will be resigning from her seat of Farrer in southern NSW after a 25 career in politics, saying Taylor deserved “clear air, something not all leaders are afforded”.

“When I came to the leadership of the Liberal Party nine months ago, my mother had just died, one of the things she said was, when something ends in sadness, don’t dwell on the disappointment. Be grateful that you had it at all,” she told media.

“There is no doubt that it has been a challenging time to leave the party after we suffered the worst defeat in 81 years. It has been tough, at times, very tough, but every sleepless night, every intractable problem, indeed, every personal challenge, has always been put in perspective by my understanding of the burdens that so many ordinary Australians face quietly and without fuss every day.”

She cited the campaign for a royal commission into the Bondi terror attack and the partyroom decision on net zero as her proudest achievements, adding that she would be drawing wisdom from her time in the early punk movement with a “fearless and honest belief in yourself”.

Party only getting started for Taylor

The spill comes after weeks of difficulty for the Liberal party, with a momentary split from the Nationals earlier this month, a surge in One Nation’s popularity, and a wave of shadow cabinet resignations destabilising Ley’s position as party leader.

Her resignation will trigger a byelection in Farrer, with Pauline Hanson confirming One Nation will be contesting the seat.

“Our rural communities have long been forgotten by both major parties and are suffering at the hands of Net Zero, increased power prices, a lack of housing and services, immigration, and the decimation of prime agricultural land by city centric policies,” she said.

Taylor will face an uphill battle in the first months of his position, with Andrew Hastie, who agreed to withdraw from contesting the leadership after a meeting of conservative powerbrokers, hot on his tail.

He has not yet addressed the media, but has posted a photo of himself with Hume to social media, saying it was an “immense honour” to be elected as leader.

“I am looking forward to working with my deputy, Jane Hume to serve the Australian people.”