Turnbull says he will call meeting after verifying petition with 43 signatures – politics live

Peter Dutton, Scott Morrison and Julie Bishop have all thrown their hat in the ring for leadership, but must secure numbers to force PM to call a party room meeting at noon. All the day’s politics, live 2.46am BST There’s a bit of time now, while this petition is verified. Forty-three names are on there. Sit tight. While we wait, consider this. These are Turnbull’s last moments in that office. When the party room meets and a leadership spill is called, he will step aside. He’s not running in the ballot and says he will quit parliament. He has said that before, mind you. The assumption that he’s a potent adversary of his party’s enemies in Queensland looks very shaky in the light of focus groups of undecided voters held in the last few days in his seat of Dickson.He’s no hero to them. They haven’t forgotten – as Canberra strangely has in the turmoil of the last few days – that Dutton made his reputation imprisoning women and children out in the islands. These voters want the boats stopped but they reckon their MP is heartless, cruel and not very bright. Related: The myth of the base: electing Dutton will mean glorious defeat for the Liberal Party 2.36am BST Mood. Continue reading…
Via: Turnbull says he will call meeting after verifying petition with 43 signatures – politics live