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'Political suicide': Nationals MP in doomed leader bid
Nationals MP Colin Boyce is set to challenge David Littleproud for the party's leadership. Photo: Susie Dodds/AAP PHOTOS
A Nationals backbencher will push ahead with an attempt to skewer David Littleproud's leadership despite admitting his move is doomed to fail.
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Queensland MP Colin Boyce will attempt to trigger a spill motion against the Nationals leader at 2pm on Monday as politicians return to parliament.
However, he was realistic about his chances of unseating the incumbent.
"David Littleproud will remain the leader and he will be comprehensively voted in," he told ABC radio.
Nationals challenger Colin Boyce warned the coalition split risks the party "going over the cliff". (Mick Tsikas/AAP PHOTOS)
It follows nearly two weeks of infighting between the former coalition parties triggered by a split vote on Labor's controversial hate speech laws.
The backbencher said he was moving the motion as the Nationals were committing "political suicide" by trying to go it alone without the Liberal Party's support.
"I'm hoping to achieve a change of leadership in the National Party and the Liberal Party, and then I hope that we can form a coalition agreement, wipe the slate clean, get rid of the egos and personalities, start afresh," Mr Boyce said.
Several Nationals members expect the motion will fail to trigger a vote on Mr Littleproud's leadership as it will need the backing of at least one colleague.
"(David's) got the support in the party room," Nationals MP Michael McCormack told reporters, adding that he didn't anticipate any other colleagues would come forward as a challenger.
He expected the coalition to reunite within 48 hours, if "cool heads, diplomacy, discipline and commonsense" prevail.
A Redbridge poll released on Monday found primary support for the Liberals and Nationals had fallen to 19 per cent, down from 26 per cent in December.
Redbridge poll director Tony Barry said the worst might not be over for the former coalition partners, noting One Nation's primary vote was at 26 per cent.
Mr McCormack said the surge was being fuelled by "cranky people" and polls should be taken with a grain of salt.
"If we believed in polls, in 2019, Scott Morrison and I wouldn't have won that election," the former Nationals leader said.
"The Voice (to Parliament referendum) would be in place right now because everybody thought it was a fait accompli. Well, it wasn't."
With the future of the coalition up in the air, Sussan Ley has made acting portfolio appointments. (Jay Kogler/AAP PHOTOS)
One Nation MP and former National Barnaby Joyce cited his defection and the disunity of the coalition as reasons for the poll surge, teasing an announcement of another recruit to the right-wing party in the next 24 hours.
Ms Ley earlier announced an interim Liberal-only shadow cabinet, giving the Nationals a week-long deadline to decide whether the split would be made permanent.
If the parties aren't reunited by the second sitting week, the Liberals plan to promote six of their MPs to the shadow cabinet and two to the outer shadow ministry.
Australian Associated Press
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