CANBERRA, Australia—Government lawmaker Peter Dutton, a former Queensland police officer, is planning a second challenge against Australia’s prime minister after losing a leadership ballot.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull called on his government to unite behind him after lawmakers in the ruling Liberal Party chose to keep him as their leader 48 votes to 35 in a ballot on Tuesday.
Turnbull surprised his rival faction within the Liberal party by calling the ballot before his challenger could lobby colleagues for support.
But Peter Dutton on Wednesday confirmed he was sounding out support for another challenge.
“I am not going to beat around the bush on that, I am speaking to colleagues,” Dutton told Melbourne Radio 3AW.
Dutton left the Cabinet after the vote. Eight front benchers who supported Dutton’s challenge have offered their resignations, but it it’s not clear if they’ve been accepted.
The ministers from the cabinet are:
- Minister for Trade Steve Ciobo
- Minister for Human Services Michael Keenan
- Minister for Health Greg Hunt
From the outer ministry:
- Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs Alan Tudge
- Minister for Law Enforcement and Cybersecurity Angus Taylor
From the assistant ministry:
- Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister James McGrath
- Assistant Treasurer Michael Sukkar
- Assistant Minister for Science, Jobs, and Innovation Zed Seselja
International Development Minister Concetta Fierravanti-Wells and Senator Amanda Stoker also announced their resignations.
The Australian reported that up to five more members of the outer ministry could be considering handing their resignations to the Prime Minister.
