Pyne sorry for leaked comments

EMBATTLED government minister Christopher Pyne has apologised to the Liberal Party for his “unhelpful” comments that have fuelled anger among his conservative colleagues.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has faced calls to sack the veteran frontbencher this week after he was revealed in a leaked tape to be bragging over the removal of Tony Abbott from the Liberal leadership two years ago.

Mr Pyne told branch members in his South Australian electorate of Sturt he was “very sorry” his comments at an event last Friday — leaked to News Corp — had “caused such a distraction for the Government”.

“I apologise to anyone they have offended. My remarks were ill chosen and unwise and I can see how unhelpful and damaging they have been,” Mr Pyne said.

The tape revealed Mr Pyne and fellow MPs in the Turnbull Government’s moderate faction were planning to revisit the contentious same-sex marriage issue “sooner than everyone thinks”.

He also bragged to the factional gathering at the Liberal’s federal council that the faction was now “in the winners’ circle” after outsing the conservative Mr Abbott.

The former PM said he “understands” why fellow Coalition MPs would be pushing for the Defence Industry Minister to step down as Leader of the House.

Mr Abbott lashed out angri- ly after the tape was leaked, accusing Mr Pyne of disloyalty and not being “fair dinkum with the Australian people”.

Mr Pyne said last night Mr Turnbull ran a “tight-knit, traditional cabinet government” that was “inclusive of all strands of thought across the party”.

“The inclusion of the members of the party room has been outstanding and the team in Canberra has felt very much part of the decision-making process,” he said.

Mr Turnbull yesterday dismissed tensions with the Liberal party, accusing the media of having a fixation on leadership politics.

He said the Australian people were “not interested in the personalities among politicians”.