No Joyce challenge ... for now

THE man tipped to replace Barnaby Joyce as Nationals boss says there is no challenge to his leadership “at the moment”.

Federal minister Michael McCormack has repeatedly dodged questions about the leadership, refusing six times to support Mr Joyce as leader.

“There is no challenge at the moment ... he has the party’s support,” Mr McCormack told Sky News yesterday.

He also refused five opportunities to rule out a challenge at next Monday’s party room meeting.

“There is no spill, there is no vacancy at the moment,” Mr McCormack said.

When told it looked like he was refusing to support his leader, Mr McCormack eventually said: “Of course I support Barnaby Joyce, he’s our leader, he’s been a very good leader.”

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says the deputy prime minister’s affair with his ex-staffer and now pregnant partner Vikki Campion has harmed the government.

The latest Newspoll shows the Coalition has lost the small gain it made on Labor earlier in the month.

“It’s distracting and it’s unhelpful,” Mr Turnbull told 3AW. Mr Joyce claims the Nationals support him, but Mr Turnbull said he didn’t know if that was the case.

Nationals backbencher George Christensen said his electorate backed Mr Joyce.

“The response has been that he’s done nothing wrong, it’s a personal issue and people should just get off his back,” Mr Christensen said.

Mr Turnbull says his wife Lucy has been in touch with Mr Joyce’s estranged wife Natalie since the affair, which he last week labelled “a shocking error of judgment”. Mr Joyce called those comments “inept”, but insisted he and Mr Turn- bull could work together.

“Like most people in a strong business relationship, there are times you need to discuss your views because that’s how you resolve things,” Mr Joyce said.

“I don’t believe either of us are the sort of people who whisper behind closed doors – if you have an issue, you confront it head on and that’s what we did.”

Mr Joyce has rejected ongoing questions about his travel entitlements, and Mr Turnbull said the Nationals leader had given him an “absolutely unequivocal assurance” there was nothing wrong with his expenses.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten said if he were prime minister, Mr Joyce would have been sacked already.

Mr Joyce yesterday began five days of personal leave. With Mr Turnbull and deputy Liberal leader Julie Bishop also away, Finance Minister Mathias Cormann will be acting prime minister.